Jesus said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
Have you ever got up from sleep only to feel more tired than when you went to bed? Experts talk about the various stages of sleep, and have discovered we are really not at rest during some of those stages. If we don't get enough REM sleep at night, we have not rested. Often that can be due to health issues, over-exhaustion, discomfort, or a number of other issues. Even sleeping too much can create this feeling over tiredness.
People talk about rest as recovery - that we're tired and need to go to sleep. That is often true... our bodies (and more often our minds) become exhausted and are in need of a new start... a refreshment... a restoration. So we look for sleep as a recovery mechanism. Sleep is a tool to find rest, but it is not always the only restoration we need.
But God built into the rhythm of life the design of rest as the FIRST action of our day. In Genesis, God created the world to start with evening, then morning - His structure started with restoration & refreshment first, then work second. Even after God created Adam & Eve on the sixth day, He gives them instructions about taking authority over the world and caring for creation, but then sets aside their first day of life to be a Sabbath rest. While it fell on the end of the week as the 7th day of creation, it was Adam's first full day of life.
Jesus saw that not only were the disciples tired physically, they needed restored for the next great ministry to come. So He instructs them to "Come with me... to a quiet place... and get some rest". So they get in a boat to cross the lake. Sailing a boat may not sound very restful to us, but it was a fisherman's favorite spot! While we might be thinking about sleep - they were restoring their souls on the quiet waters of the lake. And what's more, they had some downtime with Jesus by themselves. No more people coming & going, no rush, no urgency... just a peaceful moment to restore their spirits.
Often we need restoration that does not require sleep --- what we really need is some quiet time with God. The disciples may have caught a cat-nap, or maybe they just relaxed for a while, but either way they were getting the chance to rest before the next big activity. And BIG IT WAS - they didn't know it but Jesus would use them to feed over 5000 men with a measly 5 loaves & 2 fish!
Rest creates the capacity to do God's work. When we start our week with restoration in worship, it prepares our souls for the work ahead. When we start our day with restoration from His Word, and begin our day in Rhythm with God through prayer, it prepares us for the ministry He wants to do with us.
Sleep may help us recover, but not give us restoration. But finding a little time with Jesus, separate from the world's demands, can give us restoration that's better than just sleep! Listen to Jesus --- Come with Him to a Quiet Place, and get some rest! Start your day and your week off WITH JESUS getting your restoration. Then you'll be ready for the day's work ahead.
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