There was one Man whom men would not have. That Man was standing as Son of the Father, in the light with the consciousness of the Father’s eye brightly beaming on Him. That Man said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The Man Christ Jesus alone had the secret of rest.
There was divine, inexhaustible fullness in Him, all the divine glory being in Him, and we have it revealed to us: “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” To whom then could He not and would He not give rest? It is not the question of how much you have to bear, but of the Lord’s eye upon hindrances. When He looks on anyone, even if it be a little child who does not yet feel its burden, He sees it and knows all that is connected with conflict.
He sees the burden within each heart; He sees everything that is against us. I may be like a ship wrecked between two seas. He says, “Come unto Me . . . and I will give you rest.” How can you get away from that word? Is anything beyond His power? It is just there that we get the very essence of the gospel. He goes on: “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me . . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” How was it that Christ found such perfect rest in the midst of all that was against Him? Ever quiet and at home, in the midst of it all, He says, “Learn of Me.”
If we could put down self in every way and entirely, we should find rest in all circumstances of life. If we walked as Christ did, we should see God and our Father in everything—privations, temptations, difficulties—God and our Father in it all.
Subjection to His Word in everything—saying, “It is written”—makes the bitterest thing sweet. Our Lord Jesus Christ has pledged Himself that I shall have rest. He reveals the Father to me—the blessing He has shut me up to. All blessing comes from Christ teaching me every day to find rest by seeing God and my Father in everything.
G. V. Wigram (adapted)