The need for rest and renewal

When you’re physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained, you become vulnerable. When Samson grew tired, he lay down in Delilah’s lap. Jesus called for 100 percent commitment, but He also knew the importance of staying in balance; of work and rest; of giving out and taking in. “Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and His apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone” (Mark 6:31-32 NLT). A good general will never commit all his soldiers to the battlefield at the same time. He keeps a reserve force to relieve the exhausted ones when they stagger back from the front lines. Yes, you may have the greatest assignment in the world and be succeeding in it, but unless you “keep a reserve,” you’re opening yourself up to potential danger. That’s why setting aside time each day to be alone with God in prayer and Bible reading is so important. If Satan can’t defeat you outright, he will settle for an exhausted, ineffective version of the person God wants you to be. If you’re a type A, high-energy person, you’re particularly at risk. What’s the answer? “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31 NKJV).