Tired: Finding God's Rest and Renewal

Weariness touches every life, yet left unmanaged it dulls our judgement, drains our joy and opens the door to temptation. God offers rest, restored perspective and renewed strength for all who come to Him.

The Drain of Weariness

We are prone to making needless mistakes when emotionally and physically exhausted, besides being more vulnerable to spiritual attacks of temptation, discouragement and self-pity by overlooking the good things of God that are for us. A lack of sleep, frustrations, unrelenting stress and being involved in too many things (especially if there are conflicting priorities), are draining on the body’s resources and mental stamina, so life becomes a grind not a joy, with simple tasks taking on unduly draining qualities.

When Tiredness Takes Hold

When we are very tired things get out of perspective, with our thinking becoming pessimistic, while critical words can cause relational conflict with faulty decisions being made.

Another form of tiredness or inner turmoil results from people neglecting or ignoring us so we feel isolated (and often self-pitying), typified by the “We have worked all night and caught no fish” syndrome (Lk 5:5).

When tired keep a tight rein on your reactions

God's Answer: Rest and Renewal

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).

God designated one day a week for rest from our normal work schedule to regain the right perspective by focusing on and worshipping Him (Ex 20:8-11). Hope, vitality and enthusiasm returns as we get refreshed spiritually and we have opportunity to deal with emotional hang-ups. Like any other command, ignoring this one-day-a-week rest comes at a cost. If we are constantly worn out, our long-term physical health, our relationships, and especially our connection with God will suffer.

We are to respect and care for our bodies, which are a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, remembering there is a contented tiredness after hard yet successful activity which is naturally regenerative (1 Cor 6:19). In contrast God doesn’t get tired, in fact He is always at His work so spend time with Him to receive strength (Isa 40:28-31; Jn 5:17).

Reflection and Application

Keep a weekly rest day to regain perspective and worship God.
Identify what drains you — overload, stress, conflicting priorities — and prune where you can.
When tired, keep a tight rein on your reactions and delay major decisions.
Draw strength daily from God, who never grows tired.