Devotional Text

Pastor David’s devotional for October 27, 2021

Mark 6:30-31
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

It is Monday morning. Late last night 4 of us from Desert Spring flew to Kansas City for a gathering of pastors and leaders from the largest churches in Methodism. The purpose of the meeting is to talk about a vision for the United Methodist Church for the years to come. The meetings are important, and I am grateful that Desert Spring was invited to be a part of it—we have much to offer in such conversations. With the opening session beginning soon, today’s devotional will be a bit shorter than usual. It is kind of ironic that at a time when I have to rush to meetings, I am needing to write about finding time to retreat for prayer and to consider our lives! But that’s life sometimes. We do the best we can.

In the passage from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus had sent the disciples out to do ministry for the first time. Upon returning from their mission, they were excited to share the news of their ministry. Jesus, knowing the demands of ministry and what they had been through, took them to a quiet place to rest. Throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus does that! He takes time to get away from the pressures and demands and preoccupations of the day to retreat and pray. He teaches his followers to do the same. As we think about Jesus’ pattern of work and rest, I have a few questions worth pondering.

Think back upon your life. In times when life has seemed to be overwhelming because the demands were too great, what would you do in response? When I was much younger, my response to being overwhelmed with work was not great. I would spend time organizing everything that had to be done, and then I would stay up all night working on it, one thing at a time, hoping that by morning I would feel more “caught up.” Not a good practice! Now, when there is too much to do (and that is often), I try to do what Jesus taught us to do—to step away from it all and to spend some time with God in prayer.

When you do have times away to spend reflecting on your life and praying, are there particular times and places that are most conducive to “time away”? Where? When? For me, it can be anytime during the day, and outside in God’s creation is my place.

How would you describe your time away? Do you talk a lot with God? Do you meditate? Do you praise God? Do you recite scripture? What does a meaningful retreat look like for you? I practice a disciple of silence—no words—I just try to listen to my life and to the still small voice of God.

How does your time away from the demands and pressures and preoccupations impact how you return to life’s demands and try to move forward? I know that after my time of prayer and reflection the work is still waiting! But my experience has been that I am more focused, more productive, and more willing to accept my limitations (and to turn things over to God) because of my time away. How about you?

Well, time to run! The team is waiting for us to head over for our first meetings. God bless you!

Pastor Dave