Rest on the Way
Scripture: Mark 6:31–34 (NIV)
31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Parker Palmer, in The Active Life, describes what he calls the vacation approach to life.
“When exhaustion overcomes us, and we are too drained to keep up the pace, we move into the stage of alternation… Exhausted by activity, we take a little vacation to refresh ourselves, then we plunge back into action until we are exhausted again… and on the cycle goes.”
That feels familiar, doesn’t it? We push ourselves to the edge, burn out, take a few days off, then dive right back into the same unsustainable rhythm. I see myself in that pattern, and I see myself in the disciples. So many times, I’m caught in the comings and goings of life, work, ministry, family — that I literally forget to eat. I push through the day thinking, I’ll rest later, as though rest were something I could schedule once the work is finished.
But Jesus’ invitation in this passage interrupts that mindset. When Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” He was inviting His disciples to a deeper kind of renewal.
What’s surprising is what happens next:
They get in the boat and set out for that quiet place, and the crowds beat them there. When they arrive, rest time is over, and ministry begins again. At first glance, it might look like the rest never happened. But look closely, the rest was on the way. Verse 32 says, “They went away by themselves in a boat.” That journey was the rest.
Jesus gave them the gift of slowing down — of space, of quiet motion across the water — before stepping back into the demands of ministry. He didn’t take them out of life; He taught them how to find rest within it. If we always treat rest like a destination — something we can only experience once everything else is done, we’ll always miss it. But if we see rest as part of the rhythm of walking (or sailing) with Jesus, we’ll begin to experience restoration even as we move.
Practical Steps Toward Rest
- Recognize your need before you’re depleted.
The disciples “had no leisure even to eat.” Jesus calls them away before they collapse. Pay attention to the early signs of depletion — hunger, distraction, irritability. These are invitations to pause and breathe.
- Find your “boat.”
You may not be able to take a whole day away, but what’s your boat, your quiet space within motion? A slow drive without the radio, a lunch break without your phone, five minutes of deep breathing and prayer between meetings? That’s where rest can begin.
- Rest as you go.
The disciples’ rest wasn’t a retreat from ministry; it was woven into their journey with Jesus. Let His presence travel with you. Rest doesn’t have to mean stopping everything — it means moving with awareness of Him.
As we move through the rest of this week between the rush of what has been and the demands of what’s still ahead, remember that rest doesn’t wait at the end of your to-do list. It’s found on the way, as you walk with Jesus through the ordinary motions of your day.
So take a breath, find your “boat,” and let Him remind you that rest isn’t a destination — it’s the presence of Christ, meeting you right where you are.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You see how easily I fall into the cycle of work and weariness.
Thank You for calling me, not just to stop, but to come with You.
Teach me to rest on the way — to find stillness in the movement,
and peace in Your presence even when life doesn’t slow down.
Let my rhythm mirror Yours: work shaped by compassion,
and rest anchored in communion with You.
Amen.
Also shared at The Mark Montclair.
