Come Unto Me

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29 

The first time I heard this scripture was through a song by Linda Rich — “Come Unto Me.” The time was the late 1960’s when the Vietnam war was raging, college campuses were exploding with protests, national guards with rifles were patrolling campuses, buildings were burned, students and professors were arrested, and students were killed at Kent State. I felt confused by it all—everything I thought I knew was in question. Then I heard Linda’s song:

(chorus) Come unto me all ye who are heavy laden , I will give you rest (repeat)

I am the lily of the valley

I am the bright and morning star

I didn’t come to save the perfect

I’ll meet you right where you are.

(chorus)

I am the Savior and the Shepherd

I am the truth, the life, the way,

No one comes unto the Father,

But by me, why do you delay.

(chorus)

The song gave me the peace to know that God could take away all my worries, that he loved me, and that he was with me despite all that was going on around me.

I think that in some ways, the current times are as troubling. The Ukraine is under attack by Russia. Millions of innocent people are fleeing and have lost everything. The homes they knew previously no longer exist—they are just rubble. Thousands have been killed. The evil there seems all pervasive with no end in sight.

Reread the scripture above and turn to Jesus to find rest for your souls and comfort from above. We don’t have a lot of control over the circumstances, but we can pray for God’s peace and comfort for those in peril as well as ourselves.

Prayer: Jesus, the world seems in unbelievable turmoil, help us lean on your strength, your promises, and your truth to get us through these times. Amen

Nancy Hall