Not a day goes by without someone coming to our home, a meeting on the calendar, an event on the horizon at our venue, or a task that can’t be left undone. Our days have tumbled into weeks, our weeks into months, and our months into an endless expanse of moving from one thing to the next. Jerry and I are spent. Almost to the point of exhaustion. And yet, we can’t seem to stop or find the words to say no. The truth is, our hearts don’t want to. We love doing what we do. In this season of our lives, it is a sheer blessing and privilege to be available for others. It’s a calling we wouldn’t miss for anything.
Still, these words, something’s got to give, have begun to echo in my head. That we have to do this better is beginning to constantly resonate in my heart.
It would make sense to think we might need to step back, take more off our calendar, do life a little slower. That’s not what Jesus recommended when He and his disciples came face-to-face with their this. A quick snapshot of it is found in Mark 6:30-32 ESV.
“The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And He (Jesus), said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For they were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.”
Doesn’t that strike you as odd?
Jesus didn’t tell his disciples they needed to permanently stop what they were doing, but what He did tell them was to go away to a desolate, or as some translations read, an isolated place. He didn’t tell them to take a vacation, or go to a relaxing resort where they would be waited on and pampered but to go somewhere to be alone.
Alone with their thoughts.
Away from distractions.
Somewhere peaceful and pin-drop quiet.
Alone before the Lord.
For it’s only when we are in that place where nothing is pulling us this way or that—for the disciples it was hoards of people; for us, family and friends, texting, social media, music, television—that everything can stop and we can finally be still. Still enough to hear God’s whisper. That’s what happened to Elijah.
“‘Go out and stand before me on the mountain,’” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” 1 Kings 19:11-13 NLT
Jesus calls us to come away from everything that seeks to drown out His voice. He promises that when we do, He will give us the kind of refreshment our souls truly need. When our hearts and minds are quieted before the Lord, it’s as if the cobwebs that tangle our thoughts or cloud our sight, dissolve into possibilities. The angst within our heart is replaced by His peace which passes all understanding. We may not know, understand, or see the solution, but He does. We just need to trust, wait on, and follow Him. For when we do:
“He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:29-31 NLT
Will there still be days when Jerry and I are tired beyond belief? Probably. Most definitely. That’s okay. We don’t want to miss the joy or the miracles we get to see and be part of when we walk through what Jesus has placed before us.
To find rest, our lives don’t have to screech to a halt. We just need to look heavenward and be still.
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 ESV
Kimberly
