And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”

Mark 6:31 ESV

A lot of times, God gets our leftovers. We fit God in when we have a few minutes in our schedules or during our quiet time for 10 minutes during the day. But God doesn’t deserve your leftovers. God deserves your firsts. Give him the best of your time and attention. 

Simply giving God your focused time and attention is an act of worship.  One of the best ways to practice this is by being silent before him. This can be hard to do because we are so busy, our phones are constantly distracting us, and there is always something to be doing or thinking about. You’ve probably already thought about what you need to do after you put this down.  Jesus knew how important this was and made it a habit to regularly get away to a silent place to spend time with his Father. We could all learn from Jesus’ example. 

Four things Jesus invited the disciples to do

In Mark 6, Jesus recognized the disciples’ need for rest, and He recognizes ours as well. It is under these circumstances that He invited His disciples to…come with him, by themselves, to a quiet place and get some rest.

Get away

Sometimes getting the rest you need requires you to get away. Maybe you need to get physically away from all the distractions and just rest. Sometimes the rest we need is spiritual and we need to get away with Jesus. Either way, remember that our Savior knows when we need rest and, in those moments, He invites us to get away with Him. He wants to lead you away from the crowds and the busyness of life to just bask in His presence. To lean on Him, draw from His strength, and be renewed and refreshed. What will it take for you to actually get away with Him for the rest you need?

When Jesus invited the disciples to come by themselves, it was a time for the ministry team to relax and recover. Mark 6 tells us that the disciples had been in such high demand in the villages where they went that they hadn’t even had time to eat. Whether you serve in a ministry of some sort, are a stay-at-home-mom, a corporate executive, or a day laborer, we can become so busy that we don’t take time to stop an eat or see to the basic needs of life. Jesus invited his ministry team to take some time just for themselves – where they were not in demand, where they were not healing or preaching or casting out demons. Jesus wanted to invest in them relationally. He was also teaching them the importance of rest so they could keep on serving.

There is a difference between solitude and isolation. One is connected and one isn’t. Solitude replenishes, isolation diminishes.

Henry Cloud

A Quiet Place

Not only did Jesus invite them to come with him to get away be themselves, but he also wanted them to find a quiet place. Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable it can be when everything is quiet? If we are with others, the silence often feels awkward. Some of us even need the hum of a fan just to go to sleep. The truth is, we simply are not used to quiet. However, Jesus challenges you to find it.

It is in the quiet where we can here Jesus say, “Be still and know that I am God.” He wants us to just be still and rest. God knows the demands that have been placed on us. He knows the ministry He has called us to. And He knows the problems you are struggling with. He knows. And He’s inviting you to come away with Him and rest.

 Christ notices the frights of some, and the toils of others of his disciples, and provides rest for those that are tired, and refuge for those that are terrified. 

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