Exhaustion, rest and the gentleness of God

I thought faithfulness
meant continuing.

One more mile.
One more burden.
One more prayer
spoken through tired lips.

So I kept going

until even courage
became heavy.

At last
I sat beneath the tree
with nothing left
to offer You.

No victory.

No brave words.

Only weariness.

I expected You
to tell me
to stand.

Instead,

You let me sleep.

You gave me bread.
You gave me water.

And when I lay down again,

You did not call me weak.

You fed me
a second time.

Perhaps I had forgotten
that I am dust,

that even willing hearts
live inside bodies
that grow tired.

You did not remove
the road ahead.

You simply gave me
what I needed
for the next part of it.

And sometimes,

that is how
You restore us.

Not by making us stronger,

but by teaching us
that we were never meant
to be strength itself.

Inspired Version Scripture

1 Kings 19:5–7

And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

Behind the Poem

Elijah had just experienced one of the great victories of his ministry, yet shortly afterwards he was exhausted, afraid and ready to give up. God did not begin by rebuking him. He allowed Elijah to sleep, provided food and water, and acknowledged that “the journey is too great for thee.” Sometimes God’s provision is not the removal of the journey, but the grace to rest before continuing.

Explore More

If you have found this helpful, there is more to explore across Saints of the Restoration. You can continue with our Daily Bread devotionals, go deeper through The Deeper Walk, consider some of Life’s Questions, reflect through Bible Poetry, or browse our growing library of free Christian books and study resources.

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