Jimbo's Jots

From an old hymn:

“There is a place of quiet rest,
near to the heart of God,
a place where sin cannot molest,
near to the heart of God.”

There is something to be said about retreating. We have been conditioned to think that retreating is running away. We talk about moving forward and pushing through. In fact, based on my thoughts from last week, you might be thinking that I’m contradicting what I posted last week about living the forward life. Far from it, if anything, understanding the need to find quiet and retreat is an essential part of forward living.

To explain, let’s look at Jesus’ life from the gospel of Mark’s perspective. Mark skips over the whole of Jesus’ ancestry or even early life of Jesus. He picks right up with John and Jesus in full ministry mode. In fact, I think sometimes Mark tells the story of Jesus like you are talking to a preschool about their day. “And then” seems to be his favorite phrase.

Mark throws this in among all of the “and then”, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35). In our minds, we are thinking, “what about his daily work”, “what about his task list that needs to get done today”, “what about all of those people following Jesus”. The very next words are, “Simon and his companions went to look for him.” (Mark 1:36) Going on, they say, “Everyone is looking for you.” (1:37)

If I may take the liberty to read between the lines, they came to look for Jesus because there was work to be done. In just a short time of being called (Mark 1:16-20), Jesus has already driven out an impure spirit (Mark 1:21-28) and healed many people of various illnesses (Mark 1:29-34). So instead of meeting the day head on like so many of do, Jesus says, “I need a quiet rest – near to the heart of God.”

Our minds have us racing through the day the moment that we wake until the time we go to bed. Sometimes even then, it doesn’t slow down enough so that we can get a good night’s sleep. We think in our mind, “Why can’t I just slow my head down?” Let’s start thinking like Jesus. After all, Jesus taking some alone, quiet time recorded in Mark is not the only time he would do this.

So as simple as it sounds, answer for yourself, “When do I want to spend some quiet rest with God?” It’s a matter of taking time out of your day and making this a priority. I’ve got to admit . . . it’s difficult to live in quiet. Even as I write this, music is playing in the background. I don’t like quiet per se. But I do like the idea of quiet rest with God.

So let’s make a pact! Ask me if I’ve been quiet today? Ask me how my quiet time is going. I’ll do the same for you. And remember like the old hymn says,

“O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
sent from the heart of God,
hold us, who wait before thee,
near to the heart of God.”

Be blessed in your quiet rest! Then you can be a better blessing to others along the way.