Jesus wanted his apostles to rest. Let us focus on his words: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” The secret of true rest is hidden in these words. To rest is to be with the Lord Jesus, to follow him wherever he takes us and to leave the world behind. To rest is to retreat to the secret place of our hearts, where we meet God in our moments of prayer and reflection. In other words, praying is to find rest in him. The apostles could not have the “rest” as planned, when people flocked around the Lord. Did the plans of the Lord fail? Did the apostles miss their rest? No, they learned the art of resting in the Lord. Even amidst the busyness of life, being in his company, hearing his voice, brought rest and comfort to the tired and weary disciples. When our duties, obligations and problems seem to overpower us, and the rest seems to be so distant from us, let us choose to offer the sacrifice of our praise to God, declaring that He is our Rest.

PRAYER: Abba Father, teach us that You are always with us, even when we go through the darkest times in life. Amen.