Luke 5:15-16 holds one of the most surprising facts about Jesus. It says, “The news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed”.
To me, that is shocking. Had I not read the Bible, this is not how I would have pictured Jesus. I would have expected that, if the creator of the universe took on human form, he would act in super-human ways. Maybe he would fly from one location to another. Or maybe he would be able to become invisible. Or maybe he would not ever need to eat, sleep or rest. However, none of that is true.
Scripture states that while Jesus was fully God, he was also fully human. Therefore, he needed times of rest, quiet and recuperation. More than that, Jesus knew he could not do his father’s work without first spending time with his father. He went before God before he went before others.
So, what makes us think that we can do all the things we are supposed to do without times of quiet and prayer? If the Son of God needed rest and refreshment, who am I to think I can get along without it?
People who serve others do not burn out because the job is too hard, or the task is too big. They burn out because they try to do the job the wrong way. We cannot succeed if we cut ourselves off from the source of strength that we are given to do the job. We will not be joyful if we carry all the weight on our own.
We need to make room in our lives for prayer, meditation, and being refuelled. We cannot go alone.
If Jesus needed rest and quiet, why would you not?
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