Rest in the Midst of the Daily Grind - Denise Pass

Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Mt:14:23: “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”

Mk:1:35: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

Lk:5:16: “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed”

Lk:6:12: “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Lk:22:41: “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed.”

Lk:22:44: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Surrounded by a throng of people, all demanding His time and what He could do for them, Jesus knew all too well how difficult it was to find a place of rest in the midst of a demanding, busy schedule.  Still, He knew to put his big rock in – He knew He needed time with God the Father, to be able to minister to all those around Him.  Jesus modeled dependency on His Father and the need for it.  He, being fully God, showed us in His humanity that He recognized He could not carry out His mission without God’s enablement and strength.

I recently had the blessing of getting away for a weekend with my husband.  The aches and pains I feel every day began to vanish – it made me realize that I am not cognizant of the stress my daily life places on me.  The daily grind can be harmful if we let it be.  I get away with God in devotion time in the morning before the household is astir, but my tank is quickly depleted and I find I am needful of many bursts of solitude with God.  How to achieve this with 5 precious children, a darling husband, and multiple jobs?  I confess I do not know the answer yet, but I am on the hunt for it.  Perhaps prayer walks where I force myself out to get a breath of fresh air, coupled with hopping in the bath tub with no noise, no agenda on my mind are great starts.  Getting away for a day, if possible, also help us regain perspective that is quickly lost in the mind-numbing routine we are slaves to.

Sometimes I can be a workaholic and forget that busyness does not necessarily mean I accomplish a lot.  God does not want us burnt out – diligent and purposeful, but also resting in Him.  If you find yourself burdened or stressed, right in that place Christ can come and give you rest.  Sometimes, though, we need to step away.  Christ did, too.  You are worth it and you need it.  Or maybe God is calling you to create that space in someone else’s life – someone else who is buried in responsibility and over-burdened.  May we not forget the importance of rest and prioritize its place in our lives.  The seemingly mundane constant force of “to do’s” may never end, but the wisdom to know how to rightly handle it can make all the difference in the world.  Perhaps even some items in our daily grind need to get crossed off, pruned even.  God can reveal those things in time with Him.

Lord, we are so needful of You and Your power for everyday life.  Help us to not get so caught up in the daily grind that we forget to look up to You.  Help us to have a firm perspective on this gift of life and not forget the mission we are called to in the sea of never-ending responsibilities.  You are our life – help us to live our lives out for Your glory, no matter what encompasses us about.