Meeting Jesus in a Quiet Place
by Candyce Carden @CandyceCarden
The Power of a Single Word
A few years ago, rather than setting New Year’s Resolutions, I started taking part in the One Little Word Project. This is where a single word becomes one’s focus and lens for the new year. The word encourages an area of personal growth.
The past year ended on a low note for me. I was tired, burned out. Functioning but not flourishing, I found little joy in activities that usually bring me a great deal of pleasure. Overactivity was the culprit.
The word rest emerged as the obvious choice for my word in 2024.
Meeting Jesus in a Quiet Place
“Let’s go off my ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”
Mark 6:31 NLT
In this verse, Jesus is speaking to His disciples. They were so busy serving the crowds that they hadn’t eaten. Jesus invited them to follow Him and replenish themselves with rest and food.
The Christian walk is hard. We know we have a calling to meet the needs of others, and sometimes we get so caught up in meeting those needs that we neglect our own. On top of this, we face job pressures, family conflicts, and money struggles. No wonder we become as depleted as a flat tire.
Two things stand out in Mark 6:31. First, the disciples withdrew to a quiet place and secondly, they withdrew with Jesus.
How many times do I “rest” by watching a favorite television show or playing an online word game? Although I find physical rest by disengaging from life for a while, these activities do nothing to refuel my spirit. They don’t provide me with the rest my soul craves.
Christ came into this world to provide rest for those who are tired and refuge for those who are afraid. In this biblical example above, He took care to nourish the disciples with food for their body but also provided them with the spiritual food of God’s word [i].
Sabbath Rest is not unplugging from life, but plugging in to Jesus. When we practice sabbath rest, we find the true rest our bodies and souls need.
We find examples in the Bible of Jesus taking time out for rest. When He retreats from the masses to seek solitude, he doesn’t scroll aimlessly through social media. He prays.
“Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”
Mark 1:35 NLT
Here, and in other situations, we see Jesus withdrawing to a secluded place to pour out his heart in prayer, “hereby showing all his followers the great importance of cultivating communion with God in private.[ii]”
When we withdraw to a place of solitude and cast our burdens on Him, God will sustain us. When we turn to Him with our worries, we find true rest.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 NLT
Don’t feel guilty about the need for rest. For when we seek rest, we are following the example of Jesus.
One Little Word Project
Do you participate? Is there a spiritual discipline you’d like to better apply to your life? Think about prayer or gratitude or forgiveness. Do you want to correct an internal voice that says you don’t do enough, aren’t as joyful as you should be, or need to be braver? Your theme word for the year could be an area of growth. You may be surprised by the number of people who struggle with the same thing and the abundance of information available to help.
Click here to learn more about the one word project and see other word suggestions. Ask God for guidance as you seek your word.
Meeting Jesus in a Quiet Place Share on X[i] Benson Commentary. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/1-35.htm
[i] Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/6-31.htm
Candyce, I like how you differentiate between unplugging and plugging in to Jesus. Thanks for sharing this important message.
Your message touched me as I sometimes get so busy doing God’s work that I forget to find rest in Him. Thank you Candyce.
That is easy to do because there is so much to do, Yvonne. Let’s follow the example of Jesus when it comes to rest as well as when it comes to serving.
Am hoping I can find that time to rest Ms. Candyce. I can sure appreciate your thoughts ma’am. We sometimes get too busy and when that happens, our balance is lost. Like you, I’m hoping to find my balance again soon. God’s blessings dear sister-in-Christ. Praying that one word rings true for you in this new year ma’am.
We can hope, JD. And be intentional in our pursuit of Jesus. Too much busyness is the enemy of sabbath rest.
Rest is a great word for the year! We all need time to rest in the Lord and to allow Him to refuel us as we focus on His Word.
I’m looking forward to a restful 2024. Resting with Jesus is necessary for us to flourish as God’s children, Happy 2024!
I needed this, Candyce. I find it hard to give myself permission to rest. Too many years of being an over-achiever, I guess. I’m working on more time with our Father and I’m grateful for the encouragement of your message. Praying for you, my friend.
Yes, we’re the overachieving Baby Boomer generation. It can be hard for us to let go of some things but in order to age faithfully and gracefully, we must. Praying for you too, Katherine!
For whatever reason we often think browsing our phone or watching TV will be relaxing, instead it often leaves me with a feeling of emptiness, like I’ve wasted that time. Why do things like that seem to be our default setting for seeking rest when God’s word clearly tells us true rest is found in Him? I’m learning, though teaching this old dog new tricks proves to be tough. When I unplug from everything else and plug into Jesus, I experience true refreshment. Here’s to resetting our rest default in 2024.
Slipping into that mindless browsing not only leaves me empty but also agitated. Like you, I’m learning also. So thankful God is patient with this slow student. Thanks, Terri.
I think sometimes we do feel guilty if we take time to rest. But if Jesus saw that need how much more should we? We also need to use the rest time in the correct way. Like you said, playing an online game or watching TV is not the sabbath rest we need. We also need to disconnect from electronics because our brains need that rest too. Blessings in your rest time, Candyce!
Being on any electronic devise within three hours of bedtime in not a good idea. It revs my brain up rather than winding it down
Thank you, Barbara. Blessings to you in your rest time as well.
I’m learning to rest too Candyce. I’ve always worked like Martha, but I hope to experience spiritual rest like Mary.
I’m definitely a Martha. I think we live in a Martha world. Baby boomers like me were raised with the mantra – “don’t just sit there, do something!” Here’s to being in the moment with Jesus and others in our life instead!
Happy 2024!