To The Battle Weary Christian
I’ve experienced many, many seasons of weariness in my life. Seasons where I felt overwhelmed to the point where I didn’t want to get out of bed because I just felt tired. Tired of having to push through the difficulties and trials that came my way. Have you ever felt like that? If so, you’re not alone. I learned, over the years, that weariness is just a part of life. I had to learn this as I matured in my walk with God. Before He taught me that we all face weariness at some point, I would always condemn myself for feeling weary. I had developed the mindset that to feel weary meant that I was weak, and disappointing God in some way, since He commands us to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9). However, God revealed to me that I shouldn’t condemn myself for feeling weary. I am human, and that means that I will struggle with weariness at some point in my life. I’m not a superhuman, and therefore, I should not expect to go through life feeling strong, every single moment of every single day. In fact, God reminds us, all throughout scripture, that strength is available to us. He would not remind us of this truth if He didn’t expect us to feel without strength and weary at some point. Isaiah 40:29 (NIV) reminds us that, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Whenever I find myself in a season of weariness, I find comfort in this verse, and I ask God for the strength that only He can give me.
Truthfully, most of the time I ask God for help in the midst of my weariness, I expect Him to pick me up out of my bed, but of course, this isn’t the case. Oftentimes, He gives me instructions on how to win the battle with weariness. Over the years, God has taught me three important strategies that have helped me overcome weariness whenever I experience it in my life.
Believe God. Oftentimes, when I feel weary, I find myself plunging into unbelief. Because I feel overwhelmed and tired in these seasons of weariness, I struggle to hold onto the hope that things can change. I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced this, but I have, many, many times. I felt so weary of the battle that I was facing that it was hard to believe the promises of God. However, God reminds me every time that I must believe. I must hold on to His word in seasons of weariness and have faith that His promises are true, no matter how things may seem. So, believe in the midst of your weariness. Believe the promises of God. Believe that His word is true when He promises to work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28) and that He will complete the work that He began in our lives (Philippians 1:6).
Worship God. I learned to worship my way out of weariness. There have been so many days when I would wake up and feel physically and emotionally weary. Days when I would wrestle with getting out of bed, or just laying down all day and succumbing to the weariness that I felt. But, God taught me that a way out of weariness is worship. So, whenever I feel weary now, I would go into my room, close the door, put on some worship music, and just sing. I would sing out to God, and weep, and weep some more. As I sing, I would pour out my heart to the Lord, and tell Him how weary I felt. Time would pass, and without even realising it, that weariness would lift, and I would feel so much peace and strength instead. Worship is a remedy for weariness as a believer. Use it.
Pray. I’ve realized that it’s easy for us to take prayer for granted. At least, this is the case for me. However, in the midst of my weariness, I have learned that prayer is powerful and God hears us when we pray. Everytime. So, when I feel weary now, I ask the Lord for strength. I ask Him to help me overcome my weariness and find the strength that only He could provide. Sometimes, I even pray the Psalms when I find myself feeling so weary that I can’t muster up my own words to pray to God. In those moments, I would repeat Psalm 121, Psalm 23, Psalm 42, and many more. Praying the Psalms would always help me to not only find peace in the midst of my weariness, but I’m also reminded of the promises of God. If you’re battling weariness today, I encourage you to pray and ask your Heavenly Father for the help that you need to endure and overcome it.
Weariness is a part of life. We all struggle with it at some point; however, it’s up to us to decide whether or not we will succumb to it, or overcome it with God’s help. I’ve gotten to that place where I felt so weary of the fight that I didn’t want to keep going. I felt like I was on the verge of waving the white flag of surrender because life just felt like too much. However, God reminded me that He is with us in the midst of our weariness and instead of drawing away, we must take steps towards Him. I encourage you, if you’re battling weariness, to implement these strategies in your life. They work, every time, trust me. I’ve proven it.
Strength is available to you in the midst of your weariness. God will help you find that strength, once you ask Him.