Come unto me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28

Click Here to Read Today’s Scripture: Matthew 11:25-33

In the poem “Not Waving but Drowning,” English poet Stevie Smith tells the story of a man who swam too far into the sea and was drowning. People walking along the beach saw him with his hands extended above his head, but instead of rendering aid they lifted their hands in the air too. They thought he was waving, and they were waving back at him to say hi.

Many times, Christians suffer in a similar way. We go too far out into the sea, following something attractive or exciting that eventually takes more and more of our time, mental capacity, energy, emotional bandwidth, and focus on God. Overwhelmed by life’s struggles, we feel we are drowning, yet we put on a calm exterior and people believe we are doing well. 

In Matthew 14:22-23, upon seeing Jesus walking on water, Peter daringly gets out of the boat to join him. At first, he is doing it! He is walking on water! Yet, scared by the roaring waves, his faith falters, and he starts to sink. He calls out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” and Jesus immediately grabs him by the hand and saves him. For God, it doesn’t matter how far gone we might be or how overwhelmed we might feel, all we need to do is call on Him and he is powerful enough to save us.  In Matthew 11:28, Jesus makes this invitation: “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

Perhaps you have been going through a heavy season in which the week goes by in a blink and you’re struggling to stay afloat. Perhaps you’ve been fighting something you feel will overcome you. Perhaps you feel you are too far into the sea alone and afraid, and all attempts you’ve made to ask for help result in people thinking you are just waving. And you don’t know how to tell them you’re drowning. God is making an invitation to you today to call upon him. He yearns to rescue you and is ready to do it. He will give you rest. No matter how far gone you might be or how deep the sea might feel, our God can walk on water. He is mighty to save. 

Reflect: Is there a particular area in your life where you need urgent help? In addition to praying, what step could you take this week to reach out to someone?  

Prayer Starter:

Dear God, I’m struggling. I need help. Please give me the courage and show me who to reach out to, and how.   

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