Nurturing the exhausted mind

‘When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight.
(John O’Donahue- To Bless the space between us)

Maybe you’re feeling exhausted with stressed & strains of day to day life under the threat of COVID. There may be underlying issues that you’ve been carrying.You’re at the end of yourself & can’t take anymore.

The prophet Elijah had just defeated the prophets of Baal, yet he became afraid & ran for his life. He sat under a broom tree praying he might die (I Kings 18&19) He fell asleep,then an angel from God gave him some food. Strengthened by sleep & food he travelled for 40days then heard the still, small voice of God.

We can become exhausted like Elijah. Sometimes what we need too is simply food & a good rest, then some time with God to nourish our souls.

And God is always closer than you think:
‘God is everywhere, in all places &
there is no spot where we cannot draw near to Him &
hear Him speaking to our heart:
with a little love,
just a very little,
we shall not find it hard’
(Brother Lawrence-Practice the Presence of God)

The most important thing is to come to our God, to hear His voice. 

He says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28- NIV). 

Jesus said:
“Are you tired?
Worn out?
Burned out on religion?
Come to me.
Get away with me
and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest.”
(Matthew 11:28MSG)

The next two verses in the Message say this:
“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly”. 

We need to slow down (even during lockdown) get rid of distractions & clear away the clutter in our minds.Sometimes we’ve got to leave what is good and choose what is better – quality time with God. 

Life goes better if we speak to Him before we speak to others. If our relationship with Him is first priority, all other relationships go more smoothly. Time with God is always the best option especially when we’re exhausted.Without Him we’re just running on empty, getting stressed out and heading for burn out.

Each day God wants to guide us to make full use of limited time-not so we’ll get dizzy with to-do lists-but so His priorities will be ours and we’ll achieve what he wants – things that’ll last.

When life seems busiest, we often need to stop and simply draw aside and come to our Heavenly Father, who knows what we really need. And sometimes our deepest need is to simply be still, to care for our soul and to find rest in God alone
(Psalm 62:1)

The Psalms are punctuated by the word ‘Selah’, or ‘Interlude’ as the Message translates it. We need to punctuate our life with interludes, quiet pauses with God.

‘Step out of the traffic!
Take a long, loving look at Me, your High God above everything’
(Psalm 46:10 – The Message)

In the middle of busy days, God give me quiet moments- 
To pause and pray.
In the hectic busyness of life, help me to be still.
To cease striving. To calm down.
To catch my breath.
To forget about what’s going on all around, cramming in on my mind.

Help me to be still, and know that You are God. 

That You are in control:
• when things are all right
• when things are all wrong
• when the pressure feels high 
• when life tumbles down.

Even then and even now help me to be still and focus on You, rather than my problems.

Amen

Blessings,

Ruthx

PS Four verses for the exhausted mind:

‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.’
(Psalms 91:1 NIV)

‘The Lord said, “I will go with you and give you peace.”’
(Exodus 33:14 CEV)

‘You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord GOD is the eternal Rock.’
(Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT)

Jesus said:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
(John 14:27 NIV)