Resting in the Yoke?

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I felt prompted to use this passage in yesterday's post about giving up my tendency to try to control everything but I couldn't really figure out why. I'm kind of laughing at myself this morning because it is so obvious. What is the opposite of trying to be in control, especially in my walk with Christ? It is submitting to Him. I feel like this verse is very paradoxical because it speaks of rest while in a yoke. A yoke is an instrument of work "a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull." That doesnt sound very restful. So what does Jesus mean when He says the weary and burdened should take His yoke upon them? He means for us to get into the yoke with Him, to walk beside Him and learn from Him. So often we are running around trying to do things for God and others and ourselves without taking any thought or time to seek what God has for us to do. This becomes exhausting. In the study, Experiencing God, by Henry and Richard Blackaby, the authors put forth the premise that God is always at work and that He will show us how to join Him in it if we will be alert to the opportunity. Then, as we take up the yoke of the gentle Savior and follow His lead, the work will not be burdensome. Let's pray that our eyes will be opened to where God is working around us and instead of trying to do it on our own, take His yoke upon us and really learn from Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."