March 5
Verse of the Day for March 5
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 6:31 KJV
The Key of Stillness · Day 5 of 31
Reflection · 3 min read
Rest A While
The apostles come back from being sent out and start telling Jesus everything that happened. The reporting is enthusiastic. The ministry has gone well.
And Mark adds a detail that dates the scene precisely for anyone who has ever had a job: there were so many coming and going that they had no leisure so much as to eat.
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.
Come ye yourselves apart. He does not tell them to push through while the momentum is good, which is exactly what a growing work tempts you to do.
It is worth noticing when this happens. Not after a failure — after a success. The instinct after a good run is to run again immediately, and he interrupts it.
The rest does not go to plan, incidentally. The crowd works out where the boat is going and gets there first. But he still called for it, and calling for it was right even though it was interrupted.
Not after the failure.After the success.
The dangerous moment for your rest is not when things collapse. It is when things are going well enough to justify skipping it.
He said come apart even knowing the crowd would follow.
Carry this today
What success is currently costing you your rest?
Pray
Read Mark 6:30–32
30And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31And 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. 32And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
Keep praying
Reflection by Collins Asein, from the daily devotionals in the PrayerKey app. Bible text: King James Version.