By Susan Hutchens
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Rest. Do you love it? Work is necessary and valuable, and play is good too, but we also need rest. For some people, rest is a necessary evil — they only rest when they are forced to. For others, rest comes more easily (maybe too easily!). They tend to pace themselves so they don’t get overwhelmed. But all of us come to a point when we need physical rest, and the same is true spiritually.
We see this in the biblical account of two sisters, Mary and Martha, in Luke 10:38-42. Martha is running around doing all the things in preparation for Jesus and His disciples to eat with the family, and she looks out and sees Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus — when there's work to be done! If you’ve ever been busy working and found someone who should be helping you decidedly not helping, you know how Martha felt! When she complained to Jesus, He was quick to point out that Martha was careful (or full of care) and troubled about many things, but Mary had chosen the one thing that was needful — sitting at His feet. How could Mary be resting when there was so much to do? There are three events in the Bible that feature Mary and her family, and every time we see Mary, she is at the feet of Jesus. Let’s take a look.
First, we learn that Mary was content resting in God's provision of fellowship with Him. Luke 10:42 says that Mary had chosen the one thing that was needful, and that was sitting at the feet of Jesus. God has graciously given us the one thing we need: fellowship with Him.
I know you hear it again and again: the way to have fellowship with God is by reading His Word, praying regularly, and keeping short accounts with God about our sin. The amazing thing? God wants this fellowship with us and to give us rest! He knows we will get tired, careful and troubled about many things, and He offers us rest. It’s the most needful thing (Matthew 11:28).
Notice that Mary had chosen to be content with fellowship with Jesus: "Mary hath chosen that good part . . ." Much of the Christian life is made up of choices. We choose to read the Bible, pray, witness, react with grace, forgive, be kind. Likewise, fellowship with God is our choice (Revelation 3:20). He doesn't force us to fellowship with Him. Are you choosing to fellowship with Jesus, or are you letting life happen and hoping that you'll develop a close relationship with the Lord? Unfortunately, resting in God doesn't just happen; you have to choose to rest in Him.
Life is busy, and as Christian wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and church members, we can easily be overwhelmed by all we have to do.
But God invites us to be content in His provision of fellowship with Him. Like Mary, take time to sit at His feet by reading His Word and talking to Him in prayer.
Next in our study of Mary, we see that she was consoled in her grief, because she was resting in God’s compassion. Mary was free to pour out her heart to Him in her grief: "Lord, if thou
hadst been here, my brother had not died" (John 11:32). Even when we know God's promises, there are times when we just need to pour out our hearts to Him. When Mary did exactly that, Jesus didn't get angry with her or chastise her for her grief. He understood her grief and wept with her (John 11:35). What a thought, that Jesus would weep with us! We have further comfort that Jesus is not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15-16). He knows and He cares about what we go through!
Are you going through something today that brings you to Jesus' feet? He knows, and He cares, and He doesn't get upset with you for your grief! Remember the promises of God and trust Him. Be confident, and rest in His compassion!
Finally, the last time we see Mary of Bethany in Scripture, she is comfortable resting in His presence (John 12:1-7). At that time and in that culture, women were not seen as equal with men. They would have been serving the meal, but not sitting with the men listening to a teacher visiting in the home. But Mary comfortably sat at His feet to hear Him. A man probably wouldn't have bothered himself with a woman's grief, but Mary wept at Jesus' feet and poured out her heart to Him when her brother died. And Jesus wept with her. A woman would not have let down her hair in the presence of men; that would have been considered immodest. But Mary was comfortable enough with Jesus to wipe his feet with her hair. Mary could find rest with her dearest friend, Jesus.
Jesus wants us to be comfortable with Him in the sense that we are comfortable with a family member (Romans 8:15). My husband and I have hosted many preachers and missionaries in our home, and let me tell you, I don’t get completely comfortable with visitors in my home! I don't go and put on my nightgown and robe after supper and lie on the couch reading. We talk about many things, but we don’t generally talk about our deepest thoughts and feelings. I fix "nice" food, not beans and potatoes or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. On the other hand, when I’m with my husband, I relax. I get comfortable in the evening; we eat plain old food that we enjoy; we talk about the innermost thoughts of our hearts. I’m intimately familiar with my husband, so I am comfortable in his presence.
I want to know Jesus so well that I can rest comfortably in His presence.
I can tell you that there is sweet rest in the Lord Jesus, in His provision, in His compassion, in His presence! I’ve learned that, just as He reached out to offer salvation, He also reaches out to offer rest (Matthew 11:28). Nothing can separate me from God’s love (Romans 8:35, Psalm 103:4). I can come into His presence as a daughter (Romans 8:15). I can rest in the Lord!
Can you rest in the Lord? Are you content in God’s provision of fellowship? Are you comforted by His compassion for you? Are you comfortable with Jesus? Can you rest in His love for you? Thank Him for rest, and continue to have close fellowship with Him. And if you have trouble resting in the Lord, get familiar with Him through His Word and prayer, and you will begin finding rest for your soul!