Need Help? Too Tired to Pray?

When Rest Isn’t Enough: The Exhaustion That Runs Deep

Drained. Exhausted. Fatigued. Weary. Worn. Tired. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by your circumstances that you felt tired—not the type of tired that a good night’s rest would solve? It’s an emotional and mental exhaustion that won’t let up. Some of these situations we were born into and some of them we caused ourselves. These situations zap us of our hope, patience, and resources. Trying to cope with such difficulty can deplete us of our strength. The hope one had seems to dwindle in the face of difficulty. The options seem few for relief.

There was a man named Job in the Bible who was experiencing many life challenges. In response to his challenges, Job stated, “(Job 3:3 KJV) Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night [in which] it was said, There is a man child conceived.” He began to curse the day that he was born because what he was dealing with was so difficult. Job’s children, his animals, and his health were destroyed in one day. He didn’t even know if things were going to get better. Those experiences challenged his faith to the point he began to question God. He began to question the purpose of his own life.

Being Honest With God in the Middle of Your Pain

Sometimes when we’re mentally exhausted, it seems like everything we are doing is just pointless. Our goals, our dreams, our visions seem unreachable because all of our energy is going towards survival. What I like about Job is that he was honest with God. What he was dealing with was hard!!!! He didn’t want to go through it. He told God how he felt and he shared the depths of his despair.

At some point a decision has to be made. Do you drown in your sorrow or find a way to keep going? When you love God, quitting on the relationship is not an option. When God has given you purpose and a drive to live for Him, giving up feels just as bad as being tired.

Peter’s Choice: When There’s Nowhere Else to Go but Jesus

In the Bible, Peter was faced with a decision after Jesus presented his disciples with a difficult saying. Jesus asked his disciples if they were going to leave him like the others. Peter’s response was [John 6:68-69 KJV] 68 “.…Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is with this attitude that a person is able to get help from God. Once we understand God is the only one who has the words of eternal life, then we know where our help comes from.

I could imagine Peter in this scripture knowing what Jesus told the disciples was hard to understand but he already had too much proof that he was the CHRIST. He knew too much about Jesus to leave him. Ultimately when we’re tired, we need to know where to go to get help. Jesus can help us if we acknowledge we need him and if we are honest with him. David gives us instructions in Psalms 61:2 stating, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I.”

Use Your Voice: The Power of Crying Out to God

David decided that no matter where he was when his heart was overwhelmed, he would cry. That word cry means to call out. The only way to call out to get someone’s attention is to use your voice. If you want help, the key is to cry out, call God by His name (JESUS) from wherever you are. This is how you make it to safety. The word rock in that verse represents refuge and strength.

So what I am saying is…when you are tired, use your voice to tell God how you feel. Keep talking to God until you feel HIS strength keeping you. Just like Peter had experiences with Jesus that made him stay, we have experiences that have taught us that no other person can satisfy us like Jesus. Where would we go if we quit? No one else can speak words that lead to life everlasting. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

I bet you’re wondering what happened to Job, who I spoke of at the beginning. Well, Job had a conversation with God sharing his complaints and God responded. God reminded Job of how powerful He is. God began to demand that Job face the fact that God has the power, wisdom, and authority to make the decisions that GOD deems as right even if Job didn’t agree. Job acknowledged God’s power and authority. Eventually, God turned Job’s situation around. The Bible says, “…also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Despite all that Job experienced, he eventually had to acknowledge that he was wrong for questioning God’s sovereignty. And we need to do the same. Life will present us with many challenges but we have a choice to make. Matthew 5:45 (KJV) tells us, “…for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Good and bad situations happen to all of us. Everyone is going through something, even if they never tell you.

Tired People Pray

But we have an opportunity to call out to God when we feel overwhelmed. When you feel tired and need help, call out to God with faith and He will give you strength to make it through what you didn’t think was possible.

Listen to learn how Job teaches us to Pray In the Middle of It via the PRESS Movement Podcast.