Have you ever craved space and stillness in order to be refreshed, but then felt guilty for resting? I certainly have. Thankfully, needing and receiving rest is biblical! In Mark 6, we catch a glimpse of Jesus’ closest friends returning from the thick of ministry after being sent out by Jesus. And what does Jesus do? He gives His disciples the gift of rest and refreshment. He gives them a chance to breathe. It’s interesting to note that the disciples had not healed everyone; there was still work to be done. In fact, mere verses later, Jesus miraculously feeds over 5,000 hungry people. People were lost and needed help, but Jesus saw that His disciples needed rest. In light of this, why do we feel that we can’t rest until all of the work is accomplished? If Jesus commanded His disciples to rest in the middle of ministry, we can be confident that He calls us into His rest as well. Receiving Christ’s gift of rest required the disciples to trust that Jesus was sovereign. They were not responsible for saving humankind; Jesus already had that covered. God is the One who acts and accomplishes; our responsibility is to follow Him. Sometimes we will follow Him into mighty acts of boldness, and sometimes we will follow Him into quiet and still places of rest (see Psalm 23:2-3).

Let’s take a deep breath and sit in these truths. It is never shameful or wrong to need rest in the midst of ministry activities. You are not a failure if you acknowledge that you need Jesus to refresh you. The reality is that, until Jesus returns, there will always be work to do for His Kingdom (Matthew 9:37). While this work is a blessing and gift, it must be punctuated with times of rest and refreshment as we trust and allow our Lord to restore us.

As our Lord restores us, He goes before us. Jesus calls His chosen ones to come with Him and receive rest. They did not have to earn His presence or try desperately to find Him; He was present with them and called them to continue following Him and receiving from Him. Let’s receive Him together today.