Mark 6:31
"And then he said unto them, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place, and rest awhile: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat."
In this passage we see the disciples reporting to Jesus on their teachings and works. We can see from this verse that the area around them was busy with people. Many must have stopped to talk to the disciples and to Jesus.
Have you ever had one of those days when you seem to have no peace? Whether you are trying to clean the house, finish your work, do homework or just rest, some days it just isn't possible to get the peace we need to accomplish our tasks. If your to-do list is as long as mine, you might feel that you can't stop and must keep going.
I'm sure that's how the disciples felt this day. They had been out teaching and working in the community. When they returned to Jesus to report on their activities, they still couldn't get away. They didn't even have time to eat! I know we've all been in those sandals a time or two.
What Jesus said to them is something we should truly treasure: "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." This is advice we should all heed. When life is crazy busy and the phone won't stop ringing, we are tempted to keep trying harder and harder to accomplish "things." But it is this time most of all that we need to take some time away from the world. If we come away with Jesus to a quiet place, we are renewed by reading His Word and sharing a quiet time with Him.
This doesn't mean pulling out your Bible and reading it around others. Don't try to do this while you're sitting between your kids helping them with homework. Don't do it between phone calls. Don't do it during commercials on television. Jesus said, "Come with me BY YOURSELVES to a quiet place." This means turn off the ringer on the phone, close the door, tell everyone in your home that you need some quiet time. Put in ear plugs if you must. But go, by yourself, to a quiet place with Jesus.
Only by doing this are we able to truly get that time to commune with the Lord. That is how we renew our strength and keep a close walk with Him.
