At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

–Parallel Verses
‭Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭11‬
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Rest is an interesting thing. Without it, we cannot recharge and work productively. With too much of it, we feel more and more tired, and talk ourselves into low productivity. I find it interesting that this comes up today. This morning, I tried to workout but re-injured my thumb (minor sprain). I had worked until 11PM last night and my wife told me maybe I should save up some energy for later in the day. Maybe she was right.

So I decided to take the workout off today and get some rest. But if I continue down this path each day of taking another day off, pretty soon, I am not working out at all anymore. My body becomes lazy and my muscles weaker.

I think Jesus models something very important for us to implement here: take a little time to rest, but then get back after it in the work God has called you to. Jesus rested in the morning. He went to a solitary place, a place he could spend time by himself with God. A place where he could clear his mind and dwell with God. Where he could recover from the massive amount of energy spent the day before.

And then, after a little bit, he got back up and back after it in his mission: preaching the truth about himself and God — proclaiming the good news of his “coming salvation”.
Lord, teach me to seek you hard, to pursue your work relentlessly, and then to get some rest. But may I never get comfortable with resting. Help me to get back on my feet and serve well. By your power and strength, I can continue to re-join you in your work each day.