We are nearing the end of 2019 and for many of us, whilst excited for 2020 and all that God has for us, are feeling a little weary. If you are like me, when you are tired you just want to shut off and lock yourself away. We may even think that if we cut out church and church commitments from our busy schedules, then we might cope better. But this weariness has more to do with us learning how to find rest than it has to do with cutting back on church life.
What do I mean? Working hard in our jobs or in the church will make us tired, but that kind of tiredness can be remedy by having a really good night’s sleep. Practising religion on the other hand, doing dutifully all the right things but for all the wrong reasons, will exhaust you and drain you of energy. Religious activity has no life in it; but relationship with Jesus is full of life, refreshing and strengthening you.
Spiritual weariness is much more than physical tiredness even if that’s one of the many symptoms you might be experiencing. This weariness goes beyond physical tiredness. This is an emotional tiredness that comes from experiencing constant tests, trials and draining challenges. There is a fatigue that comes from deep within your soul as a result of carrying the weight and needs of others. This kind of weariness doesn’t go away even if you have a full week of 8 hours of sleep a night. This kind of tiredness doesn’t get resolved by going on vacation or grand holidays. This kind of tiredness can only be rectified by finding rest in and through Christ.
So how do we do that? This kind of rest I am talking about is active, not passive. This kind of rest is full of faith. This rest requires that we sit with our Lord Jesus, laying down everything, talking about everything and prayerfully processing every emotion and unhelpful thought. After all Jesus willingly endured the cross and all its shame for you and me. He knows exactly what we are feeling in our struggles. He identifies with us in it all. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 52: 3). He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows because of His great love for us.
We need to press into this love. We need to actively push into His space and sit awhile with Him. We need to offload, detox and simply hang a while with Him. Only Jesus is the answer to this type of weariness. In His presence we find strength again. In His presence we find hope again. In His presence we find joy again. In His presence we find peace, love, energy and everything else we need. Isn’t that what Matthew 11:28-30 tells us? We are to come to him as we labour and give him our heavy burdens, and his promise is that he will give us rest deep within our souls.
It’s all about relationship. As we press into our friend Jesus, we can confess our weariness and ask him to restore and revive us. Sometimes we have memory lapses where we forget things and so as you press into Jesus ask him to remind you that he sees you, that he will not forget or neglect you. He sees everything you do and have done, and he rewards everything (1 Cor 15:58). Ask Jesus for hope and joy again. Ask Jesus for strength. Remember Isaiah 40:28-30 – “He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”
Only Jesus can recharge, refuel and renew us – body, mind, soul and spirit. Only he has the power to do this and his power can never be depleted or drained. He is enduring and he will help us to endure. So, let’s learn to rest. Learn to rest in him. He has everything that you will ever need.