Fatigue

By Words of Hope, Sunday, June 08, 2008

Read: Nehemiah 4:10-23

"The strength of the burden bearers is failing . . . so that we are unable to work on the wall." (v. 10)

One of my summer jobs in college was with a large company in Des Moines, Iowa. The odd hours I had to work gave me little to do in my free time except run and get in the best shape of my life. Near the end of that summer, I put my body to the test by running up the stairs to the top of our forty-five-story building. I started in a sprint, quickly covering multiple floors. By the time I was half-way up my body began to weaken. I'm proud to say I reached the top, but it took everything I had to make it.

Adrenaline pushed the Israelites as the wall-building work began. But when the enormity of the task began to set in, fatigue loomed. Throw in the persecution of their enemies and the prospects of completion began to dim. But Nehemiah refocused the people away from the task and toward God, who initiated this project. At this, a second wind kicked in and the building forged on.

The only way to beat fatigue on the long journey of faith is by pressing on through the pain and focusing on God as our reason for living.

Prayer: Lord, in times of fatigue, please give us the energy to press on. Amen.

Used with Permission