Take A Rest
by Andy Perry

People like me often throw stones at the McDonald’s slogan “You deserve a break today” since it fuels the self-focused, entitlement mentality so rampant and destructive in our culture today. According to the Bible, of course, we don’t deserve a break—or a Big Mac or Happy Meal—we deserve eternal death due to our sins (Rom. 6:23). True, Ronald got it wrong when he declared that we deserve a break today, but God got it right when He declared that, even though we don’t deserve it, we still need one. One of the great truths of the Bible is that God is Almighty but we are not. His might is exalted and highlighted, among other ways, in the fact that we are physically, emotionally and mentally limited creatures who need rest. When we acknowledge that fact and act on it through intentional periods of retreat, God is exalted and we are renewed.

At least once a year I feel a strong need to get away from my office and phone and normal schedule of pastoral responsibilities in order to spend some concentrated time with the Lord in prayer and study. Last year I spent a few days in retreat at Cross Roads Range Camp, to which perhaps I’ll return next year. But this year I longed to be back where I sought a refuge of rest two years ago in the dead of winter: the Benedictine Assumption Abbey located about an hour west of Bismarck. In general it was a wonderful, needful rest.

Though most of us in our fast-paced, production-oriented culture rarely give it the attention it deserves, brief periods of retreat from our normal schedule in order to connect more deeply with God play a prominent role in the Bible. In Genesis, Abraham and Jacob had profound encounters with God when they were alone. God first spoke to Moses while he was tending sheep spending days alone in the wilderness. Elijah found hope in the midst of his depression by a powerful encounter with the Lord after fleeing from Jezebel to the desert. Again and again in the Gospels we find Jesus retreating from the busyness of ministry (sometimes with His disciples, sometimes without) into the mountains and deserted places to talk with His Father. The apostle Paul spent a number of years in Asia after his conversion, away from his usual environment and company, studying the Bible and preparing for his ministry which lay ahead. And it is easy to conclude that at least one of God’s sovereign purposes in Paul’s various arrests and prison sentences was to impose upon him (type-A personality that he was) an extended time of rest from ministry for prayer and writing and study (remember his directive to Timothy while he was in prison in Rome: “When you come, bring...my scrolls, especially the parchments (2 Tim. 4:13).”)

I am not suggesting that disciplining ourselves to set aside regular seasons for extended prayer and study and thought will result in the same salvation-historically significant ministry as those I’ve named. But, considering the fact that since the biblical command to “keep the Sabbath holy” (Ex. 20:8) now in the New Covenant is no longer restricted to a day of the week but overflows to all of life (Heb. 3-4), I am convinced that the discipline of focused retreat should line our lives. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to “...be filled with the Spirit.” True, that is not a command restricted to special times of retreat, but how much easier will it become during the rough and tumble of our overly scheduled lives to ensure that all of life is worship if we have first carved out special times each day, week, month and year for intensively focused prayer, study, thought and physical rest for our bodies? I used to think I could not afford to take some regular retreat time away. But, by God’s grace—and by hitting the wall of exhaustion—I’ve realized that I cannot afford not to carve out such needful time.

I know some of you are thinking, “Sounds great! But it also sounds impossible. I have two jobs.” or “We have three little kids at home.” or simply “I want to, but….” Yes, I understand. But I also know that we always make time for what we most want to do. Think about that. It’s true, isn’t it? We do find time away from work and routine and find childcare (or involve our children) in the things we value most. Why not seasons of Sabbath rest? Try a vacation at a Benedictine Abbey (or in a cabin at a camp or a Christian retreat center) next year instead of the usual fare of theme parks and mega malls. It could change your life.

So, what should you do on a personal retreat? I can’t answer that for you other than to say that it should incorporate significant elements of prayer, study, thoughtful reflection and physical rejuvenation. That will look like different things for different people. When I returned to Minot on Friday I felt renewed. Why? After organizing retreats (for myself and others) for years, here are some principles I’ve learned that make all the difference. First, don’t overload your expectations or demands. Even if you’re a reader, don’t bring twenty books, and even if you’re a prayer warrior, don’t pray for six hours a day. Remember, it’s a retreat, not a marathon. Second, make room for a balance between activities which refresh your mind (like reading something challenging, listening to teaching tapes and writing), your spirit (like prayer, listening to God-centered music or reading something devotionally soothing) and your body (like taking long walks, eating good food and—most important of all—resting/sleeping). Sound too good to be true? It’s not. I just did it, am glad I did and you can too! “You need a break!” That’s not Ronald McDonald talking. That’s God.