“And He said to them ‘come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while.’ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have enough time to eat.)”
“…and when He went ashore He saw a great multitude.”
The disciples had just returned from their circuit preaching and were reporting to Jesus. They were tired from their journeys and yet there was so much activity around them that they didn’t even have time to grab a bite to eat. Jesus recognized that it was time for rest, the disciples truly needed rest. Yet as they landed on the shore, hoping to get away by themselves for a time, they were met by the needy multitudes. Their well deserved and needed rest was withheld. Yet Jesus was not irritated, He and the disciples picked up again with their teaching and serving the crowds with compassion.
It seems to me that God gives each one of us a measure of common grace by which we are enabled to live our daily lives. Of course such grace is still entirely God dependant grace, for only in Him do we live, and breathe and have our being. Yet all of us have, in various degrees, a certain amount of daily strength to accomplish our work. If we rest, eat, and exercise properly we may have more strength than if we are sickly and weak. Nevertheless, we have a certain amount of personal strength to live. This kind of grace typically goes unnoticed and unacknowledged as grace.
But when we are brought to the end of our strength through weariness, God’s powerful grace becomes evident. Jesus knew the disciples needed rest, their personal strength was sapped. Yet God withheld their needed rest and instead gave them even more work. Jesus’ response was a beautiful example of faith, love, and confidence in God’s grace to meet every need.
When Paul seeks to point out the effect of God’s grace in his life he quickly recounts his trials, struggles, and weaknesses. He describes how he was brought to the utter brink, and how in those moments God’s grace was faithfully provided to help him during his most desperate hours. Paul identifies his weakest moments as the most grace filled moments and so he boasts in weakness because it brings attention to God’s strength.
So then my soul, what do you do what God withholds your rest, when you feel like you are at the end of your strength? Do you lie down before your flesh, grumble, complain, become irritated, and indulge in self pity? Will you deny God’s calling for you to serve with compassionate love because you don’t feel you have the strength to do it? Or will your heart rise in anticipation that now, in weakness, you might experience God’s grace more keenly? Will you rejoice because the working of God’s power will be more evident to you now your weakness? Perhaps God may glorify His grace through a miracle, for it was in such a time of dependence on God’s strength that the miracle of feeding the 5000 took place!
Don’t be downcast when you are tired, if God grants it, take your rest; but if He substitutes rest with more work, delight yourself in the occasion to depend God more deeply and be prepared to be blessed by seeing His strength made perfect in your weakness. Therefore be well content when overloaded, do not grumble. Look to the Lord and humbly receive His power.
{ 0 comments… add one now }