-Devotion by Carla Hardy (MI)
You are probably asked countless times a day, “How are you?” And your answer probably varies between a polite “good” or “not too bad” to maybe a “tired” response. I know I have often replied with my share of “tired!”
Being tired – physically, mentally & emotionally. We’ve all been there! This can be a good thing, though. Being physically fatigued means you worked hard, that you achieved something. You put your able body to good use. Mentally fatigued? You used your brain, gave thought, produced. Emotional fatigue can be positive – it means you experienced emotions – it’s good to love, it’s normal to feel – we are human after all, created with all sorts of complexities.
While being tired can be good, it can also sway to the negative side if it’s in excess. Being overly tired can be taxing on us, affecting us negatively. Physical fatigue can wear us down if it’s habitual. We need rest & restoration because our bodies have limits. God created us that way, and has even designated a day for us to rest! We can get sick or hurt if we exceed our physical limits without taking time out. Mental fatigue can also affect us negatively if we don’t manage it well. If we don’t give our minds rest, it can impact our peace, and our thoughts can get out of control. Lastly, emotional fatigue, like mental fatigue, can wear us out. If we get too wrapped up and enmeshed in emotions, it can impact our overall health.
All that being said, feeling tired – physically, mentally & emotionally so – can be good or bad. Tired tells us ‘good job’ and then ‘rest up.’ However, being spiritually tired? That is never good. It is never healthy for us to be spiritually fatigued. Our spiritual strength should never run out, because it isn’t even our own – it’s God working through us. If we feel spiritually tired, it’s a sign for us to seek revival. To seek the true source of strength.
If we are spiritually tired, what can happen? Well, two pretty big things stand out:
-We can be caught unaware of the enemy and what he is doing. The enemy is always prowling, and we need to always be on alert.
-We can miss what God has for us. We can fail to see and respond to His leading in our lives.
We want to be aware of both our Father and of our enemy, for two very different reasons. If we are spiritually tired, our awareness can fall short, and we can become victims of either spiritual attack or missed blessings.
What really stood out to me in Psalm 85 is the concept of revival. This psalm speaks of revival from God throughout the entirety of it:
v. 4 “Restore us again, O God of our salvation…”
v. 6 “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”
v. 8 “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people…”
v. 12 “Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.”
Revival, restoration, peace – whatever you recognize it as, seek it out. Constantly. As followers of Jesus, we must keep ourselves in check, look for signs of spiritual exhaustion. When we see hints of exhaustion, we need to:
-get into the Word. It is healing, life-giving and gives us the tools we need.
-pray. Boldly ask God for revival and a renewed spiritual life.
-seek out others to help us. Others can provide a path to revival and renewal, too. We grow in community, and our brothers & sisters in Christ can pour into our spiritual lives simply by their presence, and their prayers. We need each other.
Reflection Questions:
- Have you recently experienced spiritual exhaustion? What were the signs? What did you do?
- Are you connected with a solid, Bible-believing church? Are there people in the church you feel like you can rely on – to pray for you, mentor you, hold you accountable, pour into your life?
Prayer:
God, thank you for our physical bodies. Thank you that you have enabled our bodies to perform and labor, that our bodies are so miraculously built. Thank you for our brains. Thank you that we can think, reason and create. Thank you for our emotions. Thank you that we can feel joy, love – and even the harder emotions, because it means we can use them to rely on you. Thank you for all of these things – and thank you for providing ways for restoration. We ask that when we are spiritually tired that you help us to recognize this and to act. We thank you that we can talk to you and ask for renewal, that your Word is accessible to us, that there are people after your own heart to help renew us when we need it. Amen.
Seek Grow Love 