(Jesus said) "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Summertime, with its hectic outdoor schedule, sometimes can leave us all exhausted.

That statement reminds me of an old legend. It is a legend, about an Indian chief, who was fleeing a prairie fire. With his tribe, he crossed a broad river, planted his tent-pole into the ground and cried, "Alabama!" The legend says the word "Alabama" means, "Here we may rest!"

Unfortunately, according to the story, the chief didn't have the gift of prophecy. Hostile tribes soon conquered him and his people and the tribe died on the spot in which they felt sure they could call "home."

There are quite a few of us right now who would like to say, "Alabama, here we may rest."

Unfortunately, it seems that as soon as we plant our tent stake, as soon as we think we've got everything organized, as soon as we think we've got everything under control we get swept away by life's events.

Peaceful rest eludes us.

God thinks that life is supposed to be more than running away and trying to find a place without conflict.

God thinks we need to find permanent peace -- the kind of peace that only comes from knowing the Savior as our Savior.

Now, I don't know how your life is going right now. I don't know your sin, your situation, or your circumstances. I do know that if you put your faith in Jesus, He will give you rest -- and forgiveness -- and salvation, and, well, He will give you everything you need.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Gracious Father, help us to bring our burdens to You. Then may we also rejoice in the direction, the help, and the peace which You give us through our once-dead, but now ever-living Savior. In His Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 89, 92    Psalm 91    Philippians 3

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"