Come Apart & Rest A While

Sandwiched between his narrative of the execution of John the Baptist, and the feeding of the five thousand men, besides women and children, Mark records a very brief but important interlude between Jesus and His disciples. In Mark 6:7-13, we see Jesus commissioning the twelve, sending them out into the sorrounding areas, two by two, with power over unclean spirits. In verse 31, after the death of John, we read: "And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught." We do not know how much time had passed, but Jesus' response suggests that it had been a while: "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat" (v.31), to which we are told, "And they departed into a desert place by ship privately" (v.32).

In the context of the busy-ness of our own lives, the application of this portion of text is most prudent. With so much to do and so little time in which to do them, finding time for ourselves, what I refer to as "me time", is extremely difficult. Yet as Jesus demonstrated, it is absolutely essential - amidst our many comings and goings - to take ourselves apart into a "desert place" and rest a while. Two important variables are at play; 1) "privately", which suggests the absence of others that would seek to distract, and 2) "desert place", which implies the lack of material things that would cause one to lose focus. Jesus' idea is not for a vacation, or a trek to a Galilean resort, but rather time alone with God to be refreshed physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Regardless of our calling, a tired, burntout, frustrated Christian is hardly the poster person God is trying to use to accomplish His will in the earth.

The challenge facing today's believer is that of periodically disengaging from the world to capture those quiet moments. Yet Jesus invites us to rest; a rest that demands that we walk away from our computers, turn off our phones, our Blackberries, our iPods, our T.V. sets, our DVDs/PVRs, our gaming systems, or anything that would distract or cause us to lose focus. It is only when our desire for Him supersedes our desire to be constantly engaged in our activities, that we will be able to share in the Psalmist's experience: "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul" (Psalm 23:2,3a).

Amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday living and all its distractions, Jesus' invitation to you is "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while." How will you respond?