“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” — Mark 6:31, NIV
For all of us, there are times in life when rest can seem nearly impossible to find. In the midst of the day-to-day craziness, we should not forget the importance of rest. God designed rest with a very important purpose, and we should be careful not to neglect it.
In Mark 6, the disciples had been working very hard and teaching many people. They were so busy they did not even have the time to eat. However, Jesus encouraged them to follow him and get some rest in his presence.
When we are busy, we might not take the time to rest and spend time with Jesus. Perhaps, the chaos overcomes the quiet in our lives and we are overwhelmed by the world. However, we should come to Jesus and seek rest.
We must approach rest with the proper mindset. It is not about ourselves or having “me time.” Rather it is about refueling, honoring God and serving him with our time and hearts.
If we look a little further in the Mark passage, we can see Jesus did not forget what his purpose was even in the pursuit of rest, “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things,” (Mark 6: 32-34).
Jesus still took the time for compassion. He still cared about others and leading them. Rest is important but not because it will make us happy, but because God designed us to rest and so that we can serve and honor him with our lives.
In This Weekly Devotional:
