I’m retired (emphasis on TIRED). It seems like my body’s generators operate for 2-3 hours and then I get re-tired and have to take a nap to recharge them. Sometimes, naps are needed for energy production. But that’s not the only cause of fatigue.
Worry or depression can also drain our strength. Running for his life, the prophet Elijah “prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors’. Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep [first nap]. All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again [second nap].” (1 Kings 19:4–6). So, you see, naps are very biblical.
Another reason we might feel sluggish is because of our sin. David was exhausted because his guilt was like a constant drip. “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’— and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:3–5)
I haven’t mentioned how exhaustion can be related to diet, exercise, or sleep habits, but that’s for others to address.
When I was younger, it didn’t seem like I needed naps. The only ones who did were either very young or very old (I guess I’m in the latter group now). If age is not the reason for your lack of zest for life, maybe it’s time to determine if one of these other reasons might account for it.
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