Have you ever had a great vacation or few days off doing exactly what you wanted, sleeping in, and having little responsibility, yet at the end feeling empty, like something was missing, or unprepared for returning to everyday life? You see, I think sometimes, it can be easier to rest only in ways that leave us missing what we truly need or deeply desire.

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As someone who is speaking from experience, when you're tired, it's been a long week, and maybe you have spent a lot of time doing what someone else wanted you to do, it is so easy to go into an “it's all about me" mode. There is a desire to experience rest, joy, and peace. So, we go looking for those things in the most convenient way we can.  

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Yet what we experienced over the weekend often seems to add up to little more than an escape from the work week's reality. I can think of years that went by where, the moment Monday came, none of the “recharging” I had done seemed to matter. I wondered if this was really the rhythm of work and rest that my life was destined for.

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Once I started following Jesus, I began to wonder, what if there was a better rhythm? Don’t get me wrong, physical rest is good, and we all certainly need it. But what if there was so much more? What if there was a kind of recharging and rest that left us full and prepared for what is next? Have you ever felt like this kind of recharging and rest is harder to find? Can you even put your finger on what it looks like?

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Here is one pivotal truth essential to all this: God intentionally created you. Therefore, living according to his design will all-the-more result in his glory and your good. But here’s the thing – it takes intentionality and discipline. We have to reject living our lives adrift and instead live according to what we were created for. Today's verse gives us a perfect example of Jesus demonstrating a rhythm of life in which we too are meant to live.

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In the passage directly before this, Jesus is healing people and driving out demons all day long. The Scripture says he was doing this after sunset, and the whole town had come. That sounds like a long day of exhausting work. We don't see Jesus follow this up by sleeping in, binging Netflix, self-indulgence, or doing what was convenient to him. He gets up early before dawn, goes to find a place free of distraction, and prays.

If it was important for Jesus to practice spiritual disciplines, then I am certain that you and I need to even more. God has a rhythm for your life. It involves work and rest, both of which are great and necessary things when done in the way that they were intended.

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Here is a challenge to try this week: Find a 15-minute slot daily to set aside and spend in prayer. No distractions, just you and the Lord. Try to find something you can cut out to make room for this, so it doesn’t add it to your already extensive list of things. If you aren't sure what to pray about for 15 minutes, just talk to God and ask him to speak to you. He isn't looking for the perfect words; he wants authenticity - so speak from the heart and invite him in. He wants to spend time with you.