I recently had back surgery that fused multiple discs together. During my recovery, I learned something I hadn’t expected.
I often became extremely tired and couldn’t understand why. I found myself wondering, What’s wrong with me?
The answer was actually very simple. My body was healing, and healing requires an enormous amount of energy. It had just been through a traumatic surgery, and my exhaustion wasn’t a sign that something was wrong. It was evidence that something was being repaired.
I didn’t need to push through and do more. I didn’t need another cup of coffee. I needed rest.
Sometimes our spiritual lives are much the same.
In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had just endured one of the greatest spiritual battles of his life. Afterward, he was completely exhausted. He lay down and slept. An angel came and gave him food and water. Elijah went back to sleep, and the angel returned a second time to feed him again. Only then was Elijah strengthened for the journey ahead.
God didn’t rebuke Elijah for his exhaustion. He met his needs with rest, food, and water before speaking to his discouraged heart.
Have you ever gone through a season where you simply felt tired? Maybe you can’t seem to do what once came naturally. Maybe you’ve found yourself asking, What’s wrong with me? Have I backslidden? Has God abandoned me?
Perhaps you’re simply weary from the battle.
Sometimes we mistake exhaustion for failure. Sometimes we think something is spiritually wrong with us when, in reality, we’ve just been pouring ourselves out for a long time.
Our first instinct is often to push harder, stay busier, or simply keep going, when the answer may be the same lesson I learned after surgery: we don’t always need to do more. Sometimes we simply need to rest.
Healing is hard work, even when it looks like you’re doing nothing.
That doesn’t mean we stop praying or seeking God. But it may mean we need to rest in His presence instead of condemning ourselves for being tired.
Jesus doesn’t scold the weary. He invites them.
Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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