Listen

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. After he looked around at everything, because it was already late in the evening, he returned to Bethany with the Twelve.

Mark 11:11

Think

At the end of the day, Jesus looks around, realizes it’s late, and then returns to Bethany, the village just outside of Jerusalem where he was staying. It’s a small verse, but it holds a lot of meaning that Jesus returns to a place of quiet. It has been a long day, full of chaos, fanfare, people shouting and waving. I imagine he felt exhausted and overwhelmed by the day’s events. So he goes to a place he knows he can rest.

He could have stayed up all night, planning out his schedule for the rest of the week. He could have spent hours poring over what happened that day, and what would happen next.

Instead, he trusts that what he has done is enough for today. He trusts that what happens in the quiet is just as important as what happened in the marching and shouting. He trusts that he is worthy of rest.

Nick Carson

Question to Ponder:

What practices help you to rest when you are exhausted or overwhelmed?

Pray

God, quiet my heart, my mind, and my spirit when I am overwhelmed.

Help me to know when to stop, when to pull back, when to rest.

Amen.

Go

Go and sing loud and dance wild,

speak truth and stand strong,

hold beauty in your heart,

love hard and be soft,

make mistakes and say you’re sorry,

and try always to be you,

because all of life is a hymn singing God’s praise.