Spiritaul Exhaustion

Psalm 119:139 - "My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words."

This past week, our senior highers had a very special prayer service. It was a time for them to spend an hour with God in prayer. Before we went into prayer I read a passage from one of E.M. Bounds' classic works on prayer. Bounds lived from 1835-1913, and wrote so many great works on prayer. They are now available for free download at web sites such as: THIS.

In his classic book, Power Through Prayer, Bounds shared a quote from Richard Baxter. The quote had made an impression on Bounds. Baxter had once written, "Recreation to a minister must be as whetting is with the mower—that is, to be used only so far as is necessary for his work. May a physician in plague-time take any more relaxation or recreation than is necessary for his life, when so many are expecting his help in a case of life and death? Will you stand by and see sinners gasping under the pangs of death, and say: 'God doth not require me to make myself a drudge to save them?' Is this the voice of ministerial or Christian compassion or rather of sensual laziness and diabolical cruelty."

Wow! That is dedication. And, I think it's the kind of dedication that is lacking in many of us today. The world desperately needs Jesus Christ. And, it is our responsibility to make Him known. The Holy Spirit does the work of drawing people to Christ, but He uses us to share the message.

David's knew a thing or two about spiritual exhaustion. That's what we find him addressing in Psalm 119:139. His zeal for the Lord wore him out; especially when his oppressors wanted nothing to do with Christ. Walking with Christ will sometimes wear us out, but that shoud not preclude us from continuing to walk. Everything about Christ is worth following and sharing with the world. Let yourself get exhausted, He will refresh you!

Dear God,

Thank You for Your call to radical commitment. Help us be people who follow You no matter the cost. Refresh us when we are worn out. Give us zeal to keep on walking. And, may we always see the world with the eyes of Christ; with eyes of compassion and love.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.