Waiting on God When I Feel Exhausted
Evening Scripture
Isaiah 40
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. he tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Evening Reflection
Life is exhausting. Some circumstances can just knock the wind out of us. Slow us down to a crawl. Steal from us our joy. Heaviness in these moments seems to rest on us like a dark cloud. I’ve walked through many of these seasons as a foster parent. There have been times when I just wanted nothing more than to give up, to stop answering emails, to run away from my child's needs, and to retreat to my own little world. Exhaustion defined my life, making it extremely difficult to do more than the bare minimum to keep everyone alive. I was not thriving; I was merely surviving. Maybe you have been there too?
What I can say with confidence on the other side of some trying times is that God never leaves us. Even in my most tired moment, I knew I was not alone in the work God had called me to do. I could go to him and pray my very raw, needy, exasperated, and tired prayers. Every time God would hear me and remind me often of His Word. Promises like the one in Isaiah 40:31 that declare that if I keep my hope in the Lord, my strength will be renewed in time! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he would carry me through this tough time and deliver me to better days ahead in time. I know if he did this for me, he can do this for you.
Take time to pause. Say no to more hurried action in favor of slow meditation on God’s Word, allowing it to encourage and empower your soul. Spend time in God’s presence; it’s the place we best find rest. Remember, you can trust God in every circumstance. He gives strength to the weary. When we are weak, he is strong. Cast your cares on him and find the hope you need to keep moving forward.
Evening Prayer
Father,
I thank you that when I am weak, you are strong. That you promise to renew my strength when I am exhausted and feel that I don’t have the strength I need to keep going. Remind me to lift my eyes to the heavens. To see that God is greater than my problems. To remember that he is the Creator of heaven and earth, he can do more than I could ever ask or imagine. Show me how to find rest in your presence. To trust you through the hard, long, dark seasons. You are faithful to bring us through the valley by your grace.
Amen.
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Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
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