Today’s Bible Journaling focuses on Mark 6:31, “And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (NASB) (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)
Rest, how often have we said we wished there were more hours in the day just to take a little time to relax. We run from the time we get up in the morning until we crash into bed at night, with barely any time to even think. God never intended us to be constantly in motion without taking time to rest. He set the example in creation. He was busy creating the beautiful world we live in and creating man. Genesis 2:2 says, “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” (NASB) Now, if God thought it was important to rest from all of His work, don’t you think it is important for us to rest?
I am retired now, but when I was working at my job, at the end of the day I would come home completely exhausted and would spend about an hour on the couch trying to decompress. I didn’t even have the energy to start supper. I imagine there are a lot of people who can relate to that. God never intended for us to burn the candle at both ends. Take the time to get away. Some people work seven days a week and then collapse from exhaustion, not knowing why. The answer is simple, our bodies and minds are not equipped to be constantly running. It not only affects our physical health, but also our mental health. Rest is essential for us to maintain good health.
The same is true in our Spiritual life. We must have that “Quiet Time” with God to get away from the noise and busyness of our lives to renew our minds, spirits, and souls. That time spent with Him also helps us to develop a strong relationship with our Heavenly Father. He longs to have that time that we have carved out from our day, to spend with us. He loves us and wants to spend time talking to us and listening to what we have to share with Him. That time we spend with Him helps us to grow Spiritually and our relationship with Him becomes more intimate and close.
Jesus, in our Scripture reading today, encouraged the disciples to get away from the crowd. They had been ministering to people all day long, so much so, that they didn’t even have time to eat! How often have we done that …. eating on the run as we hurry from one task to another? Slow down and rest! The disciples were completely burned out! They needed that time to restore their energy so that they could be able to minister to the masses again.
I understand what that is like. I worked in Christian ministry at radio and television stations for almost 30 years. We can get so focused on meeting the needs of those God has entrusted to us, that we forget or neglect to take time for ourselves to get recharged so that we can continue to minister to those put before us. When we don’t take that time to rest, we are no good to those we are ministering to because we are depleted and have nothing to give. We need to “Come away” as Mark 6:31 says. Do whatever you need to, to recharge your battery. It could be anything from your daily devotion time, listening to Christian music, going to church and learning from the sermon, to just being quiet and letting God speak to you. So, today’s word is REST!
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