The Secret to Finding Rest
“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:31)
The disciples drifted off into a sail across the still waters that day. Laying their weary heads down, they relished every moment they could grasp a sense of serenity and beauty.
Each one had just returned after being sent out by Jesus in pairs. Scripture states:
“So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:12-13).
They had come back to Jesus and reported all that they had done during their travels.
He did not send them out again immediately after or tell them the ways they could have been more effective. Rather He gently stated,
“Come away and rest awhile” (Mark. 6:31).
Jesus knew what they needed. They required not another mission at that time but simply to rest. To spend some time refueling, shifting their perspective back to Him. To be still upon the waters, the place they knew so well.
Rest is a blessed gift.
Yet, amid life’s busyness, we often find this to be more of a luxury rather than a necessity.
Have you desired this kind of rest before? Do you ever long for a break? To operate from a place of rest rather than a place of stress, work, anxiety, and tiredness? Are you carrying what seems to be inner turmoil, which seems to impact every part of your life?
Many times what we think we need is a specific type of rest. More sleep. Healthier diet. A stress-free vacation. And those are all good things. But what happens when our soul is not satisfied? They cannot replace the much-needed attention that our spirit needs when it has been hurt.
The disciples experienced a very tangible type of rest. Yet, there is an even deeper place where peace can reside: In the soul.
When the inner life has not been looked after, it affects every part of our lives. When we have wounds that have been left unchecked, it can be an exhausting pursuit to fulfill life’s daily activities. It’s like attempting to sprint in a race while our ankle is fractured.
Only when our spirit is tended to can we enjoy a peace that truly surpasses all understanding and find the strength we need to fulfill the God-given tasks we have.
There is a place where this type of rest is given freely. Often referred to as the Living Water for the thirsty, He has patiently been waiting for you.
Rest is found in turning our attention back to the One who first loved you.
Was it timely that after the disciples reported what they had accomplished during their travels, Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand? Could it have been His way of reminding them, “it’s not about what you accomplish, but rather about the One you are serving?”
Now, I know many people have learned that God loves us. And absolutely, we need to be taught that truth from an early age. But when was the last time that it tangibly gripped your heart?
I’m not talking about a distant, “I care for you from afar” type of love. I’m talking about the deep, beautiful love that has the power to redeem the most broken heart, the most crushed soul, and the most darkened mind. A love that resides not just in the head but has made the journey to the heart.
He is inviting us to simply come.
I want to reflect on a love that can change everything. Because it changed everything for me.
He really loves you.
God’s love is gracious.
Rest is found in the gracious love of God. Scripture writes:
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8).
His love is plentiful, warm, and surpassing all we could ever hope for. It is not dependent on anything we have done but is given as a gift.
This is the love that heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Ps. 34:18).
I know this because I have experienced it myself. I have known God’s love my entire life. But a more profound sense of healing came when I opened myself up to let Him into the wounds I had been carrying for years. I asked Him to heal me from the inside out and reveal the truth to me.
And that’s exactly what He did.
Even more than I expected. It was like a liquid love came and began restoring my heart, reviving my soul, and penetrating parts of my soul that I didn’t even realize needed to come back to life.
When we know this kind of love for our own hearts, it fills our souls with peace. It may be uncomfortable to pour our hearts out to the Lord. To go back and deal with those places that were once painful experiences. But when you ask God to heal you from the inside out, He will.
And your trust in Him will deepen because of it.
God’s love is patient.
Rest is also found in God’s patient love. He waited for us. He waits for you to come.
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray” (Matt. 18:11-13).
He patiently waits for us to simply come to Him. The Holy Spirit is gentle. Like a quiet wind (1 King 19:11-12). When we understand that deep within our hearts, the Lord is patient with us, pursues us, and seeks us out, it does something to the soul. Wounds are mended. Rejections cease to hold the same kind of power they once had. Love comes softly to the brokenness of our human hearts.
When we encounter this kind of love, the love of God, we encounter a place of true rest. Our souls are met with the gracious and patient love of God, our hearts find their true home.
We were created to dwell with our God. The One who is love. And we can find peace for our souls as we return to our Father.
The enemy will try to steal your joy, and he will try to disrupt your rest.
Because it is in your joy that you have strength (Neh. 8:10). In rest that you are saved, and in quietness and trust is your strength (Isaiah 30:15).
But he doesn’t have the final say.
So come back to your place of rest, found only in the gracious and patient love of God.
Find rest in your Maker. Not because you could ever offer Him something that is worthy of the peace you desire, but because He chooses to freely give it by grace, through faith.
Blessings,
