Jesus was fully God and fully man. And he chose to rest often. Reading through the Gospels, we see that rest was a habit of Jesus. He commonly practiced rest and prayer together, in all hours of the day or night. Let’s take a look.

“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 NIV)

“But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.” (Luke 5:15-16 NIV)

“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12 NIV)

In his time of deepest sorrow, learning that John the Baptist had been beheaded, Jesus got away from the crowds. “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” (Matthew 14:13 NIV)

I don’t get the picture that Jesus ever hurried, even though he was in great demand. He showed up “late” for Lazarus, who died before Jesus came (John 11). The ruler’s daughter has also passed away prior to Jesus’ arrival (Mark 5). Jesus chastised Martha for scurrying around to serve him while, at the same time, applauded Mary for sitting and listening to him (Luke 10).

Jesus’ temperament wasn’t dictated by the sundial. Not only did he habitually take time to get away and pray, it became his way of living. That’s remarkable when you consider the constant pressure he lived with. I’m sure that before he started his public ministry, he had already lived rest for a couple decades. It was natural for him.

Jesus had good reason to skip rest. He was the Savior of the world. Yet, he did rest. He was intentional about it.

If Jesus rested, it should give you the assurance that you can rest, too. Remember, you aren’t the savior of the world. No matter how great the demand is on your life, it doesn’t come close to the demand Jesus lived with. And he rested.

Find your places of escape so you can rest. Have a spot to go at home and when you’re at work. If you have kids running around, your resting place may be in your car. You might need help from your spouse or a friend to watch the kids while you steal away. Jesus had to go to great lengths to be alone.

If we practice rest by getting away like Jesus did, we’ll develop a spirit of rest that stays with us day in and day out.

Where will you retreat to rest today?

(From my upcoming new devotional Your Life With God: 30 Days of Rest).