When God’s answer isn’t “Try harder,” but “Come rest with Me.” There are seasons in life when you are still praying. Still believing. Still showing up. Still doing everything you know to do. But deep down, you’re tired. Not just physically tired. Soul tired. Tired of waiting for the answer. Tired of fighting battles that seem to have no end. Tired of being strong for everyone else. Tired of saying, “I’m okay,” when you really aren’t. And sometimes, we feel guilty for being tired.
We think that if our faith were stronger, we wouldn’t feel this way. If we prayed harder, trusted more, or tried a little harder, perhaps we wouldn’t be so exhausted. But then we look at Elijah. And we discover something beautiful, even a man of great faith reached his limit.
Elijah was exhausted. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah experienced one of the greatest victories of his ministry. He stood boldly before the prophets of Baal and watched God answer with fire. What an incredible moment! Yet immediately afterward, Elijah found himself running for his life. He became afraid. He became discouraged. And eventually, he sat beneath a broom tree and essentially said, “I’ve had enough.”
And do you know what God did? He didn’t condemn him. He didn’t tell him he wasn’t faithful enough. He didn’t say, “Get up and try harder.” God let him rest. An angel brought him food and water. Elijah slept. Then he ate again. And he rested again. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is admit, “God, I am tired.”
God cares about your weariness. We often think God is only interested in what we can accomplish for Him. But Elijah’s story reminds us that God cares about the person doing the work. God knew Elijah needed restoration before he needed another assignment. And perhaps you need to hear that today.
You don’t have to constantly prove your strength. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay. You don’t have to carry tomorrow before you’ve even finished today. There is no shame in needing rest. There is no shame in saying, “Lord, I don’t have anything left.” Sometimes that’s exactly where God wants you to meet Him.
Rest isn’t giving up. This is important to realize. Rest is not the same thing as quitting. Elijah rested, but his story wasn’t over. God still had purpose for him. God still had another assignment. God still had a future waiting for him.
The season of exhaustion was not the end of Elijah’s calling. And your exhaustion isn’t the end of yours either. Maybe you’ve been interpreting your weariness as a sign that you’ve failed. Maybe you’ve wondered why you don’t have the strength you used to have. Maybe you’ve even questioned whether God is still using you. But perhaps God isn’t asking you to do more. Perhaps He’s asking you to come closer.
Sometimes God says, “Come rest with Me.” We live in a world that constantly tells us to push harder. Do more. Be more. Keep going. Don’t slow down. But God sometimes speaks a very different message. Come rest. Come sit with Me. Come breathe. Come lay down the burden you’ve been carrying. Come stop trying to control what only I can control. Come remember that you are My child—not My machine.
Jesus Himself said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” In Matthew 11:28, notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Come to Me when you’ve gotten yourself together.” He says, Come to Me when you’re weary. Come when you’re overwhelmed. Come when you’re exhausted. Come when you don’t know what to do next. Come when your faith feels small. Just come.
Maybe you’re in an Elijah season. Maybe you’re not losing your faith. Maybe you’re simply tired. Maybe you’ve been fighting for so long that you forgot what it feels like to be at peace. Maybe you’ve been waiting so long that you’ve started wondering if God even heard you. Maybe you’ve been carrying responsibilities, disappointments, heartbreak, uncertainty, and battles that nobody else can see.
If that’s you, please hear this, “You are not weak because you’re tired. You are human.” And God already knows. He sees the tears you don’t talk about. He knows the prayers you’ve prayed over and over. He knows how hard you’ve tried. He knows how long you’ve been waiting. And He isn’t standing over you demanding that you try harder. He’s inviting you closer.
So today, give yourself permission to rest. Rest your mind. Rest your heart. Rest your expectations. Rest from trying to figure everything out. Rest in the presence of the One who already knows the beginning, the middle, and the end. Because sometimes God’s answer to our exhaustion isn’t, “Try harder.” Sometimes His answer is simply, “Come rest with Me.” And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly what your soul has been needing all along.
This week’s recipe is a delicious and easy crockpot meal that is sure to please your entire family. It is perfect for those cool, autumn nights that are just around the corner. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29).
