Some weeks, you, like me, may notice it quietly. Not a dramatic collapse. Not burnout in flames. Just… tired. The kind of tired that settles into your bones after long seasons of responsibility, decisions, conversations, building things, leading people, caring for others, and trying to do it well. You know, as Jackson Brown would say, “Running on Empty.”
You still believe.
You still care.
You still show up.
But now you feel like you’re running behind.
Somewhere underneath it all, your strength feels thinner than usual.
It Is A Season
I told my wife Carmen, “If I can just get through the next two weeks.”
I had two newsletters to write, two blog posts (including this one), three leadership seminars, one training on strengths, a session on operations, and five straight days of driving three hours a day, making each day 11-14 hours long.
Seasons, times where we feel really pushed, come in various forms and lengths. But these seasons certainly push us to our limits.
Scripture doesn’t pretend that people of faith never reach this place. In fact, some of the most faithful people in the Bible walked through deep exhaustion.
Maybe the question isn’t “Why am I tired?”
But maybe the better question might be: “Where does strength actually come from?”
And maybe even more practically: “How does God renew it in real life?”
Even the Faithful Grow Tired
One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is that exhaustion isn’t a sign of failure.
Even Elijah, one of God’s most powerful prophets, reached a point where he was completely spent.
After a great victory, Elijah ran into the wilderness, collapsed under a tree, and simply said he had had enough. Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like this was you!
God’s response to Elijah is interesting.
He didn’t give Elijah a lecture.
He didn’t challenge his faith.
He let him sleep. Then God fed him.
I Kings 19:5-6
Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals and a jar of water.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is recognize a simple truth:
We are human.
God designed our bodies, minds, and spirits to need rest. Exhaustion isn’t always solved by pushing harder.
Sometimes it’s solved by allowing ourselves to receive care. Care from God and from the rhythms He built into life.
A pause here for a couple of book recommendations:
- The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loer
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer
God Renews Strength But Often Through Simple Things
When we think about “renewing strength,” we often imagine some dramatic spiritual experience.
But Scripture often shows renewal happening in quiet, practical ways.
Sleep.
Food.
Stillness / Solitude.
Time away.
You might be thinking, “Nice, but I don’t have time for that!” You have to make time and understand why – the reason I recommended the above books.
Even Jesus regularly stepped away from crowds and responsibilities to rest and pray.
Mark 6:31
Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.
Renewal rarely happens while we are constantly running.
In practical terms, renewing strength might look like:
• Getting real sleep
• Walking outside without a phone
• Sitting quietly with God for 10 or 15 minutes
• Turning off the noise of news and social media
• Letting yourself pause without guilt
These aren’t lazy moments. They are restorative moments. Strength grows again in spaces where the soul can breathe.
Strength Is Renewed When We Shift the Weight
Another issue is that many of us carry more weight than we were meant to.
Responsibility.
Expectations.
Pressure to perform.
The need to prove something.
Over time, those weights quietly drain strength. Jesus offered a simple but powerful invitation.
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Notice something important: Jesus didn’t say, “Come to me once you get everything handled.” He said come while you are weary.
Renewal often begins when we admit something honest to God:
“Lord… this is heavier than I expected.”
And then we slowly allow Him to carry what we cannot. Faith doesn’t eliminate responsibility. But it does remind us we were never meant to carry life alone.
Strength Returns in Seasons
There is a verse many people know, but we often notice only the second half.
Isaiah 40:31
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 faint.
Notice the order.
Soaring.
Running.
Walking.
Sometimes renewal looks like soaring. Sometimes it looks like steady running. And sometimes renewal simply means walking without collapsing.
God doesn’t measure strength the way we often do. Sometimes renewed strength simply means:
You showed up again today.
You kept walking.
You kept trusting.
And that is enough. God is in the waiting…
Challenge of The Week/Season
Recognize when you are having that season where your strength feels thin. Identify the responsibilities, the expectations, and the quiet pressures that weigh on your heart. Then ask God to teach you how to rest without guilt. Ask Him to help you delegate those things you were never meant to carry. And then receive from Jesus the strength He promised. So be it.
A Simple Prayer for Renewal
Lord, restore my soul in the simple ways You often do, through quiet, through Your presence, and through the reminder that I do not walk alone.
Amen.
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