“I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.” (Matt. 12:6)
MY WIFE AND I have a favorite place to go when we need to get away from everything and rest our bodies, minds, and souls. Stretching out in our lounge chairs on the sand with something cold to drink in hand and a good view of the Gulf waters at sunset is good for our souls.
Life can drain us of energy, health, and a positive perspective. Our bodies get weary, our minds collect burdens, sleep escapes us, yet we push on, desperately needing a rest that we cannot find. Then Jesus steps into our frantic world and invites us to join Him in physical rest as well as emotional and spiritual renewal. What a welcome invitation.
Often, Jesus would slip away from the pressures of the demanding crowds and find a quiet place—in a garden, on a mountainside, or along the sea shore—where communion with His Father would bring renewal and refreshment. He invites us to join Him there. I like a verse in the hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”:
Drop Thy still dew of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
I think I hear Him calling me to the beach.
Find a place of silence to be alone with the Savior.
Ken Heer was a pastor, community director, and author (A Good Start [WPH] and Ancient Fire [WPH]). He passed away prior to this publication.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
