02/09/2023
Are you spiritually exhausted, and if so why? This is our topic for consideration this morning. Oswald Chambers gives us some insight into this type of exhaustion when he writes of its origin... serving God, but what do we do once we realize we are suffering in this way? Do we quit serving Him? Do we walk away from our faith? Let's look at the answer to these questions today, and refresh ourselves.
"Spiritual exhaustion never comes through sin but only through service, and whether or not you are exhausted will depend upon where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter - "Feed My Sheep," but He gave him nothing to feed them with. The process of being made broken bread and poured out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God." - Oswald Chambers
Chambers is right when he says that new Christians depend on those already in Christ for sustenance until they are able to feed themselves; and this can wear upon the energy of the provider. Fortunate for us, our God is a fountain of strength and energy that never runs dry.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”
Isaiah 40:28 ESV
There are mornings when I finish my prayers and reading, only to find that I am dry... no word has come for me to write and I feel drained, but then something amazing happens. I call upon the Lord, pick up my smart phone, and type a single scripture into my document... at that moment The Holy Spirit comes and begins to pour out words, and the exhaustion which was there moments ago is replaced by the strength of the Lord.
Other times, I will have read or prayed too long, and when I realize what time it is and that in just a few minutes I must leave for work, the Lord begins to give me a word, and when it is at last complete and sent out, I realize that I have completed the entire thought in the time I had. I feel like Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," when he utterers his famous line "I haven't missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night." God is amazing and time stands still in His presence... truly, it doesn't bind Him at all.
As for our spiritual exhaustion? We are replenished through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. This truth is expounded upon in the next few verses from Isaiah 40; let's read:
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:29-31 ESV
So as you are being spiritually nursed to exhaustion by babies in faith, or your calling has depleted you, don't despair. Realize where your strength lies and go there. The Holy Spirit will renew you in the strength of the Father. Let's read Psalms 121 together...
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
Psalms 121:1-8 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for strengthening me in both body, and faith. I lift up my eyes to your Holy Mountain and call upon you for strength. Though my Spirit may be waning and nearly drained, I know that you will renew me. Lord, your strength is never ending and your provision for me boundless. In you I find the determination and energy needed to complete those things you have called me to do. You told Peter to "Feed My Sheep." And although you didn't immediately tell him how, you led him in doing so, and gave him the strength and wisdom he needed to accomplish that task. Father, lead me now, and strengthen me in your service. Let me feed on your Word, and upon your very presence in my prayer closet... give me of yourself, that I might share you with all your children... without growing weary.
Rich Forbes