You have to get away “And Jesus went to the other side of the lake” Luke 8:22

It’s an amazing thing that Jesus spent 30 of 33 years of his life just living as a normal man without any formal “ministry” going on. And then with only three years left actually took many moments away from ministry to recharge with the Father.

On this occasion, Jesus had a multitude of people following him, hanging on every word, and even more checking him out from a distance. They were crowded around him and you would think he would have stayed for weeks at the same spot, leveraging the momentum of the moment.

But he doesn’t.

He leaves the crowd and heads to the other side so that he could get away.

We know Jesus had a second by second sense of obedience to only do what he saw the Father doing, and we justify our torrid activity by saying, “we aren’t Jesus.” We think to ourselves, “The Father isn’t as clear with us, so we should work as hard, as fast, and as long as we can, and hope that God brings his kingdom out of our tireless work.

But he won’t.

He gives us the life of Jesus to teach us that kingdom influence doesn’t happen in rush, or hurry, or leveraged time. It happens when we are rightly related and rightly rested. Incarnational living is the most energy sapping existence simply because it’s so relational. Nothing costs more than when it requires you to listen, care, carry burdens, open up your home, and then do it again the next day...all while you still work a normal job, or raise children.

Today, consider how often you get to the other side of the lake? Is Sabbath a reality for you? If not, drop to your knees and ask God to teach you how to quiet down, slow down, and trust him.