One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is the feeding of the five thousand. Through His teaching and example, our Lord gives awesome lessons in Christian ministry. One of the most striking things about this story, as recorded by Mark (6:30-44), is that one of the most famous miracles was preceded by a much needed time of REST:

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
- Mark 6:30-31

Imagine the scene: The apostles have gathered to tell Jesus all they they have said and done. They had been quite busy in ministering to the needs of others – so busy that they hadn’t had time to eat! Have you ever been that engaged in the work of ministry?

Mary had a little lamb,
‘Twas given her to keep.
But then it joined the local church
And died for lack of sleep!

Yes, people and programs at church can keep us constantly on the move! I don’t think that what the disciples were doing was a bad thing. I don’t think that they were “over-committed,” as we here so often in a society that has all-but-forgotten what it means to be a poured-out-vessel for Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, these disciples were whooped! This goes to show that those who are truly committed to Christ and to meeting the needs of others in His name, will always be faced with formidable challenges in ministry that demand a huge investment of their time, effort, and concentrated attention. How do we cope with it all?

By listening to our Lord’s wise and loving invitation: “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” The disciples had been busy serving and teaching others. Jesus, too, had been busy meeting the needs of the multitudes. Furthermore, we find out from Matthew’s gospel that Jesus had just been informed about the death of His beloved cousin and faithful servant, John the Baptist. “When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself” (Matt. 14:13).

Jesus needed a break; His disciples needed a break. So what did they do? They took a break! But notice what kind of a break it was — time alone with God and with one another. In other words, it was a time of physical rest as well as spiritual and emotional refreshment.

Do you get alone with the Lord on a regular basis? Do you refresh your spirit through Christian fellowship? Think of it: If Jesus and His disciples needed a break – time of refreshment with their heavenly Father and with one another – how much more so do we? I think of Jesus’ words to Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” That “good part” is time spent at the feet of Jesus, simply being still and knowing that He is God!

Of course you know the rest of the story. Jesus and His disciples returned to the crowd, where Jesus looked with compassion upon the people and taught His disciples to do the same. God worked in an amazing way. Yet it was all preceded by a time of rest.

My wife and I are headed away for our own time of rest this weekend. We are looking forward to it. We are tired. It will be good to refresh ourselves spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. We need these kinds of getaways every so often, but what we need every day is our quiet time with the Lord. What we need several times a week is refreshment through our fellowship with other believers.

I hope you, too, will heed our Lord’s instructions. Get away from the crowd; get alone with Christ. Don’t forsake Christian fellowship; pursue it. Who knows what miracle is waiting right around the corner?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 2:26 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.