October 7, 2025
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
In contemporary society, our adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds” (Richard . Forster, 1989). The state that many leaders often find themselves in today can be characterized by these aspects. This is no surprise as we live in a world that screams “bigger is better”, “faster is better”, and “instant is better”. The consequences of this kind of life are that it leaves many of us wanting, dissatisfied, and weary.
In Mark 6:31, we see Jesus’ disciples caught up in a similar kind of life – so much so that “they had no leisure even to eat”. Can you imagine what that must feel like? I must admit that I have often found myself in this state, not only physically, but spiritually, too. I have also found that this does not just affect me, but it affects our team and everyone around me too. Thankfully, Jesus recognizing this said to his disciples in Mark 6:31, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest for a while.” Jesus was calling them to get away from the noise, the hurry, and the crowds.
The significance of this passage is that he was not calling them to a once-off time of getting away with him but was inviting them to a new way of life. His way of life. This is confirmed in Luke 5:16 where we learn that “Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” This was a different way of living that may have been contradictory to the life that the disciples were living. It is definitely a way of life that is contradictory to ours today.
It’s without a doubt that the world has experienced a bit of a pause or a reset in the past three years. One of the things we have learned during this time is to slow down, whether we wanted to or not. I believe that this same invitation – the one Jesus gave to his disciples – is still being extended to us today.
I want to use the words of the prophet Isaiah to invite you to reflect on whether you too are not being called to a different way of life:
“But they who wait for 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 40:31 ESV1. READ- Read this verse slowly several times. If possible, read it out loud.
2. REFLECT – Reflect upon the words being read. Listen carefully. Which words or phrases stand out to you? Focus on them. Repeat them. Allow God to speak to you.
3. RESPOND – Respond in prayer to God. Tell Him what you think about what you’ve read. Tell Him how it makes you feel. Tell Him what comforts you and what challenges you. Ask for His help to live out the truths you’ve uncovered.
4. REST- Stop. Be still. Stop talking, stop asking. Rest. Spend some time in silence sitting with God. Invite the Holy Spirit in and allow Him to transform you from within.
Questions to reflect on this further today:
• What is the pace/rhythm of your leadership?
• What is the invitation you feel God is extending to you as you reflect on this text?
• What will you do in the next few days, weeks, and months to practically respond to this invitation?Here are a few thoughts to consider after reflecting on this text:
Those who wait… shall receive strength.
Those who wait… shall mount up.
Those who wait… shall run and not be weary.
Those who wait… shall walk and not faint.Lastly, I would like to encourage you with this quote from John Mark Comer:
“To walk with Jesus is to walk with a slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer and only impedes and spoils our work. It never advances it.”—John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World.
