Have you ever felt like getting away and escaping the pressures that weigh you down? Perhaps it is work that is repetitive and never-ending. Perhaps it is the responsibilities of being a mother of a young infant or toddler, or needing to clean the bathroom, do the laundry, fix multiple meals, or other monotonous, but necessary, chores around the house.
Maybe you are worn out from all the reading and writing assignments in school. Ministry to people, even ministry that you normally enjoy, can wear you out. David felt that way, too. “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” (Psalm 55:6–8)
Sometimes people who feel overwhelmed with their responsibilities try to distract themselves with shopping, recreation, or vacationing. Some people seem to “live for the weekend.” It’s not wrong to shop, recreate, or take vacations, but those activities always come to an end and we have to return to the ones that wore us down in the first place. Those activities may give our minds and bodies a needed breather, but what gives our souls rest? This blog is not intended to make you feel bad about needing a break, but to identify a rest for your soul.
God may not get tired, but His children do; that’s why we need sleep and vacations. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom…Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.” (Isaiah 40:28, 30)
Even though God will renew our strength, it’s not a promise that God will keep us from getting tired in the first place. “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 be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) There were times in school that I would pull an all-nighter to prepare for a test, but that was when I was much younger. Even then, at about 4:00 AM, I could hardly keep my eyes open. There is no way I could do that now.
Jesus was spiritually strong and never tired of carrying out His Father’s will, but humanly speaking, He still grew physically tired. After walking all morning, approaching a well in Samaria, “Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.” (John 4:6) So, it’s not a sign of weakness that our brains and bodies need sleep and a change of pace now and then to be refreshed. “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for He grants sleep to those He loves.” (Psalm 127:2)
God is not impressed with how much weight you can press with your legs or how many miles you can run. “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:10–11) It’s one thing to push yourself to see what limits you can break, but pushing yourself to exhaustion is not what God expects nor wants for your life.
There is one thing that He desires for you. He wants you to accept His Son’s death on the cross as sufficient payment for your sin. “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.’” (John 6:29) Once you ask Jesus to take over the leadership of your life, you won’t become superhuman, never feeling exhausted again. But it is a guarantee that you’ll go to Heaven.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29) Before taking a break or going on vacation, accept Jesus and begin following Him.
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