A Godly Response to Exhaustion, Pt. 5 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. Here to help you start your day right as we spent some time with God together. We’ve been talking this week about having a Godly response to exhaustion and how important it is to take physical rest and time to rebuild. Without that, we so quickly come to the place of exhaustion. We need time every now and then to sleep in. To catch up.

God built into our lives the principle that we may work for 6 days each week, but that 1 day each week is for, in the words of the Bible, complete rest.

What a great gift that is from God to us to give us permission and even encourage us to and challenge us to take a day of rest each week. Have you learned to stop and rest in your life?

And even beyond the idea of physical rest, have you learned the lesson of spiritual rest, that even in the midst of busyness and exhaustion you can be at rest in your heart, knowing that God is walking through that situation with you, a situation you may not be able to get out of and rest from right away, but that God will strengthen you and encourage you – as you allow Him to take the lead in your life and as you maintain a healthy relationship with Him.

Then we also need to learn to share our struggle with other people, to let them encourage us and walk with us through that. That God never intended us to suck it up and live life on our own by our own ability and strength and will power. No, if you’re struggling, let others know you’re struggling. Let them encourage you, pray for you.

And you need to also learn not only to let people know you’re struggling, but to ask for help. That’s often so hard for us, isn’t it? To go to someone and say, I really need your help, or to our home group or some people in our church or just friends and just say, can you help me out?

You need to learn to help those you know are struggling around you, and you need to learn to be willing to ask for help. Then I want to suggest to you finally, if you’re feeling like you’re at the place of exhaustion in your life, pray about it. It seems like such a pat answer, doesn’t it? Like a cliche, a Christian cliche. Well, just pray about it.

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But I’m not using it as a cliche. I’m saying really from your heart, talk to God. That’s all praying is. Talk to God about it.

Pray about your exhaustion

The Bible says casting all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you.

I love the old hymn that is titled What a Friend We Have in Jesus. You might not be familiar with it. Let me just read it to you – three short verses.

It says, What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh what peace we often forfeit. Oh what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you. Take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms He’ll take and shield you, and you will find a solace there.

Learn to pray about the issues of your life. I have seen so many answers to prayer when I was at a place of desperate need and exhaustion, and God will meet you too if you build your relationship with Him.

And make prayer the mark of your life.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

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