A New York City man who sold books and magazines on the street was freed after being trapped for 2 days under a mountain of paper in his apartment. The man's collection of printed materials, which he had stacked wall to wall and floor to ceiling, collapsed and buried him alive. Emergency workers filled 50 garbage bags as they dug through the debris just to reach him.

We don't need a Mount Everest of old newspapers to know the feeling of being trapped under the crush of our work and the burden of overwhelming spiritual demands. Yet a glance at our Savior reveals His deep inner rest. In Tyranny of the Urgent, Charles E. Hummel writes: "Jesus' prayerful waiting for God's instructions . . . gave Him a sense of direction, set a steady pace, and enabled Him to do every task God assigned."

Jesus invites the weary to come to Him. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).

This rest that comes with salvation is not achieved by effort but is received by faith. In Christ we can also find release from the tyranny of the urgent and accomplish everything He has given us to do.  — David C. McCasland