Prayer Calendar Archive

We are a weary people. The frantic pace of life wears us down as we run from dawn to dusk, overworked, sleep-deprived and never reaching the end of our to-do lists.

Our hearts become weary when we believe a lie and see ourselves through the warped mirrors of performance and others’ expectations. We all want people to think well of us, and so our fear of rejection may push us to try to accomplish things that we think will make us acceptable in other people’s eyes. Sadly, this often leads to stress and burnout.

But our true self-worth does not come from what others think of us. The only person who has the right to define our worth is our Creator. He desires for us to see ourselves the same way he views us – as his valuable daughters and sons made in his image. As you reflect with God, what wrong thinking is causing you to become weary?

Others have weary hearts because of constant, daily pressure. Perhaps you are the caregiver of young children or the elderly. For you, the stress does not stop at the end of the day but continues without end in sight. Can I encourage you to continue to cry out to the God who will give you the strength and grace you need for each day?

Also ask him to send you helpers that can physically and emotionally support you. Reach out to have friends pray for you and with you to encourage your soul. We were never meant to live life alone. God has called us to live in biblical community and bear one another’s burdens. And we can hold onto God’s promise that his presence never leaves us.

I’m so thankful for the encouragement we can receive from Bible stories of real people we can relate to. One of my favorites is about Joshua and the Israelites fighting the Amalekite army. God provided Moses as a praying intercessor for Joshua and his men as they fought. But even this prayer warrior needed help when he grew tired, so God provided Aaron and Hur to hold up Moses’ arms. Who in your life is helping to hold up your arms?

God longs for us to slow down long enough to hear Jesus calling and to look to him for the rest that he offers our weary bodies and hearts. The Father extends an invitation to all of us to find real rest in him. But this means more than just stopping work, watching television or scrolling endlessly on our phones. When you are exhausted, how do you find rest?

There is a difference between godly rest and human relaxation. Rest is not a mindset; it is a person. God is our rest. He calls us to embrace Sabbath with him, a time to cease working and rest in God’s care for us.

Sabbath may look like corporate worship, or it may involve taking time away from the usual routine to be with God in solitude and silence, celebrating with friends, reading, praying or one of many other options. You may not have time to take an entire Sabbath day each week, but we can all practice Sabbath moments during which we come before the Father in stillness and silence to be renewed as we sit in his presence.

King David understood the source of true rest when he wrote, “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him” (Ps. 62:1). God is our rest. As we come to him, lay our burdens down, quiet ourselves and trust in him, we will find rest for our weary hearts.