‘After He had dismissed them, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray’ Matthew 24:23
Jesus had just used His heavenly powers to feed five thousand people, He was the Son of God but He was also human. Catering for the needs of so many needy people was no small feat. He needed to recharge His batteries and have time alone with God.
If Jesus Himself needed this restoration how much more do we. I know of a mother and two adult daughters who had recently been bereaved after a long spell of nursing. They had become completely exhausted.
We need to recover from times of great stress. Whether we are Christian or not we will have these emotionally draining times. It is then that we can use the traffic awareness instructions given to children. ‘Stop, look, listen.’ ‘Listen’ and if possible take time out. Ask God to ‘Take from our souls the strain and stress.’ John Greenleaf Whittier. ‘Look’, there is a whole book, the Bible, that can give us comfort and hope. It is the best ‘how to’ book in the world. And finally ‘listen’, by praying we can hear God’s tender words of love.
God restored Jesus, He can restore us too. Stop striving, look to God our Saviour and listen to His words.