Rest

“And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 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.” Mark 6:30-31

After a relatively short time of training, Jesus sent his disciples out to preach and teach. He had given them the power to do the same miracles that He had done. As they traveled and preached, they were amazed at the things that they saw God do. When they returned, they were so excited to tell Jesus about all of the things that they had seen happen. Jesus encouraged them to take some time and rest after all of the things that they had experienced.

Rest is important. Our bodies need rest from physical labor, our minds need rest from perplexing problems, and our spirits need rest from tension and emotional strain. It seems that many people are overstressed in our present day culture. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God does not want us to be stressed out or to burn out. He wants us to rest in Him. There is a spiritual rest that we have when we have placed our faith in Christ for salvation. “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9). It is our privilege to work for the Lord, but at the same time, He wants us to rest in Him.