the man heads out for a time of solitude. it is not yet dawn. the cool early morning air causes the hair on his arms to rise slightly. he shivers. in the distance there is the sound of a bird venturing out for its morning meal. a twig snaps under his sandal as he continues out beyond the limits of town. just a few hours ago there was an entire village crowded here. calling for mercy, desirous for healing. so he met them. he heard their story. he took care of them. many were healed. but now he is tired. not just because of lack of sleep, but a tiredness that runs much deeper. he has expended himself for others. power has gone out from him.
his labour of love has cost him. he was willing to pay the price, but now not only is his body tired from the previous late night, but there is a slight weariness in his soul. it thirsts for connection. for a time to recharge.
he finds a place of quiet...of solitude. in the words of paul simon...a time when my restlessness is past and i can lie down on my blanket and release my fists at last. a place of quiet
and it is here that the silence is broken with the words that can shake the mountain...
father...i need you.
there are days where i feel weary. not because i was up at 5am before the sun rose. nor is it because i have worked a full day. but a weariness that runs much deeper. naps, (o how i love thee) do not seem to relieve this sluggishness in my soul. perhaps because it is there that the weariness resides...the soul. it is not merely a physical issue, though they are somehow inextricably linked. nagged by the weariness that sleep cannot requite.
in those times i know only one place to turn. just like my master before me...
father...i need you.
it doesn’t take long for the world to cram in on us. appointments and schedules, people clamouring for our time and energy. jesus knew what it was like to feel this...
do you?
and where do you turn?
this week at the upper room we will look at mark 1:35-37...
peace to you,
scott
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