When You Feel Spiritually Tired - Your Nightly Prayer - April 14th

When You Feel Spiritually Tired 
Your Nightly Prayer
Written by Rachel Wojo, Host of the Untangling Prayer podcast

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE

“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” - Exodus 33:14

SOMETHING TO PONDER

My husband and I walked into church and found a seat after dropping the kids off in the children’s wing. After the worship, I sat down to listen to the message, only to find myself distractedly thinking about every other thing under the sun except the message. Have you been there? Maybe that's where you are tonight. It can be so hard to pray when the words won’t come. It can be challenging to thank God when your soul is so fatigued it feels numb. You're spiritually tired. That is different from being spiritually lost.

In Exodus 33, Moses hits a wall. He'd been leading a nation of complainers through a wilderness that had no end in sight. Though God had given him miracle after miracle, from the burning bush to the Red Sea parting, one day he just said it out loud: God, if You don't go with us, I don’t want to go. I can't do this. This prayer was from a man at the end of himself, telling God the truth. He started with “Lord, you’ve been telling me to lead these people, but you haven’t told me who you’ll send to help me.” Sometimes spiritual tiredness stems from a lack of community. 

Moses went on to tell God, “You said you know me by name and find favor with me, but I need more. Teach me your ways. Remember us.” Our God didn't tell Moses to pray more or have more faith. He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”The emptiness Moses felt wasn’t a sign that God had left him alone in the desert. It was a sign that he had been running hard for a long time. Resurrection people get tired. Good, faithful, God-loving people hit walls. You're not the exception. You're in good company — and you're in the right place tonight. Tonight, I want to whisper to your heart that you don’t have to try to manufacture something you don't have right now. Just do what Moses did. Tell God the truth. Say it out loud if you need to. I'm worn out. I need You with me or I can't keep going. That's enough. For God, that has always been enough. He is with you. He will give you the rest you need tonight.

TONIGHT'S PRAYER

God,
I'm tired. I don't have many words tonight, and I think that's okay. You already know what I'm carrying. You already see where the tank is empty. I'm asking you for what Moses asked for. I need your presence. Not a feeling, not a spiritual high, I just need to know that You are with me. Give me rest that goes deeper than sleep. Restore what's been depleted. And remind me in the morning that You have been here all along, no matter the season. I trust You with this tired.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. The Last Time You Felt Spiritually Full: Think back to a season when your faith felt alive and close. What was different then? Not to compare or condemn yourself — to remember. God was there in that season, and He's here in this one, too.
2. What You've Been Carrying: Spiritual exhaustion usually has a source. What have you been holding onto that's heavier than you realized? A worry you won't release, a grief you haven't named, a pace that's been unsustainable. Let it come to mind and set it down right here, in the dark, before you sleep.
3. The Simplest Prayer You Know: Moses didn't pray a beautiful prayer. He prayed a desperate one. What's your desperate prayer tonight? It doesn't have to be long. It doesn't have to be eloquent. It just has to be honest.

If you're looking for more guidance on anchoring your heart in God's faithful promises, especially His promises about how well He knows and loves you, you’ll want to check out this beautiful prayer journal, Praying the Promises of God: 52 Week Guided Journal at https://promisesprayerjournal.com. In this journal, you'll find space to meditate on the promises that remind you of your incredible worth to God and help you experience His intimate love in tangible ways. Until next time, remember, God sees you, hears you, and He knows your needs.

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes

Rachel Wojo is an inspirational author, public speaker, and podcaster known for her popular blog, rachelwojo.com. Through her biblical approach and personal life experiences, Rachel empowers women to discover strength and hope in everyday situations. Despite enduring the loss of her mother, adult special needs daughter, and father, Rachel remains resilient. She has authored the uplifting book,  Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments  and a new beautiful, spiral-bound prayer journal, Praying the Promises of God,  Rachel is crazy in love with her husband, Matt, and cherishes her motherhood with six children on earth and two in heaven.

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