“Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)
It is in the quiet places that Jesus refreshes us. Burnout is a common problem no matter our vocation or avocation, and the world has no lasting solution for it. Secular advice tells us to get away for a change of pace. If we follow that advice, we may be able to postpone burnout for a time, but we will quickly get tired again if all we’ve done is relax. Jesus tells us to come with Him. His presence is the difference between a temporary rest and a lasting refreshment.
In the quiet places, Jesus does give us rest, but He also teaches us how to depend on Him more fully, how to serve Him more effectively, and how to trust Him more implicitly. The quiet places are places of growth. We deepen our friendship with Him, and instead of temporary rest, we have a relationship that will continue to sustain us when the pressure of life come upon us again. The things we learn in our calm with Him today are the things that will help us survive in the storms ahead.
Quiet times with Jesus – even extended ones – are to be frequent occurrences. Jesus often went to a solitary place to pray. The times He had alone with His Father strengthened Him and guided Him for His mission in this world. In the same way, we generally cannot experience the presence of Christ in the busyness of life unless we have first experienced His presence in the quiet moments. We cannot get to Know Him Better when the shrill voices of our duties compete with His gentle leading. If we want to serve Him well, we need His sane, calm voice to speak clearly to us. And the only way to cultivate our hearing is in quiet places.
Have a calm weekend. Make it better by worshiping The LORD with those who know how to get away with Him and who understand that true success in life is to simply be with Him.
All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.
Vic Alvarado 