It Starts Small

Do have those moments in life where you are just tired? You can not seem to get enough sleep or maybe you are sleeping too much? I wished sometimes we never had to sleep. This often comes about because there is so much I want to do in a day and 24 hours is just not enough. If I could just sleep a few hours, then I would have more time to complete all my tasks.

The Bible says there are two types of people: the sluggard and the over worker. While over working has merit in this world, the Bible warns and cautions us against overworking. Over working quickly becomes very destructive personally, mentally, relationally, and spiritually.

God’s Word gives us some clear messages about being tired.

He Knows!

¹⁴ For he knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.
Psalm 103:14

God knows everything there is to know about us right now, in this very moment. Nothing is secret or hidden from him, so he knows how tired you are. God also knows our limits. An awesome preacher once said, we have to look at ourselves like a trailer on a semi. That semi can only haul so much. If the load is too heavy, the semi start breaking down. God never asks us to carry more than we can handle.

Unwise and ungodly

 In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food—
yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.
Psalm 127:2

Humans seem to have this tendency to try and push the natural barriers of being human. We seem to think we can somehow change the order to God’s creation of being human and push ourselves beyond what we are limited by. God created the need for rest and sleep for a reason, yet we try to do each day on 5 minutes of rest. GOd says, working all day, staying up late, causes us to eat sorrowful bread, BUT if we choose to stick with the owner’s manual of our own semis, he will bring us sleep.

Jesus is our rest when we are weary

²⁸ “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Sometimes being physically tired is not the issue. We have become emotionally tired. We have loaded our trailer up with worry and anxiety of tomorrow. We carry the burden of others or for others. No matter if it is overworking, worry, problems, external pressure from others, guilt, or fear, Jesus offers us rest. He says, come to me. Bring all these things you have piled up on your trailer, give them to me, I will carry them, and you will find rest.

Supernatural Strength

³¹ but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Sometimes we experience a spiritual tiredness. This can especially happen after a mighty spiritual moment of growth. OUr spirit becomes exhausted and needs rest. Sometimes as we battle through Christ, spiritual warfare makes us weary. In the depth of struggles and in the belly of a fiery furnace we can grow weak and begin to stop trusting our Heavenly Father. God says to trust in me! Trust in me and you will be renewed in my strength to not become weary or faint.

We need to not get prideful and refuse to acknowledge when we are tired. It is not a sign of weakness. It’s a warning bell that something is going on inside you. It can be sin. God’s Word talks about how our sin can bring physically and mental exhaustion to us. I can be a warning bell that we are toiling and overworking in vain. It can be a warning bell that we are carrying too much. It can be a warning bell that our priorities are out of whack.

We should not brush off being tired. More sleep is often not the answer. We need to have a quiet moment of solitude and evaluate through Christ if we are physically tired, emotionally tired, or spiritually tired, or perhaps all three. Run to the Father today and seek rest in him.