weary Archives - Marissa Henley

Did you know that I often write what I need to hear? I found this No Matter What Monday devotional from April 2016–I’d written what I needed to hear then, and I need to hear it again now. Maybe you do, too? So this week, here’s a flashback post to encourage us to rely on the Lord’s strength again.

It’s one of those times of the year. The end of the school year ranks high on my list of busy times of year, right up there with Christmas and back-to-school. I feel like there’s a runaway train barreling down the tracks toward the last day of school, and I’m hanging onto the back for dear life. I’ve got two hands gripping the back of the train and both feet flying up in the air behind me, just hoping we can make it to the end of the track without some unknown danger around the corner knocking me loose from this roaring engine.

In other words, I’m overwhelmed and exhausted. Anyone else?

Maybe you’ve got little ones who wear you out each day by 8:30 a.m. and you wonder how soon is too soon to start texting your husband to ask when he’ll be home.

Maybe you’re caring for an aging parent or pouring yourself out all day into a demanding job, and then heading home to face another long list of responsibilities.

Maybe your exhaustion stems from an ongoing struggle to parent a challenging child, cope with illness, or grieve a loss.

On weary days, I love this promise from Isaiah 40:30-31:

“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah gets me. He knows we all have those tired days – even the young ones get worn out, he says.

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. The Lord’s strength is a sufficient, sustaining, satisfying strength. Rather than holding on for dear life, I can fly through these challenges like as soaring eagle because I’m sustained by the Lord.

No matter what we face this week, the Lord can be trusted to renew our strength as we rest in Him.

Do you ever struggle to pray?

Do you wonder if God is listening?

Do you worry that your faith is too weak or your doubt is too strong?

Do you wonder if you are even welcome to come before Him with your pleas for mercy, healing, comfort or strength?

If so, this is a prayer for you.

“Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul” is one of my favorite hymns. The words were written by Anne Steele centuries ago. She knew the pain of suffering. She endured loss, serious health issues, singleness, and hardship. (You can read more about her here.) In these words, we get a glimpse into her struggle to place her hope in Christ.

Dear refuge of my weary soul,

On Thee, when sorrows rise

On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,

My fainting hope relies . . .

Waves of trouble, a fainting hope–does that sound familiar to you? It does to me.

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,

I fear to call Thee mine

The springs of comfort seem to fail,

And all my hopes decline . . .

And then comes the internal struggle. Doubt and fear creep in. Finding hope and comfort in the Lord doesn’t seem to be working!

Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?

Thou art my only trust

And still my soul would cleave to Thee

Though prostrate in the dust

And yet, where else should we turn? Who else do we have besides the Lord? We know He is the only secure place for our hope and trust, and so even in our pain, we cling to Him.

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,

And shall I seek in vain?

And can the ear of sovereign grace,

Be deaf when I complain?

This is my favorite line: Can the ear of sovereign grace be deaf when I complain? We take our sorrows to Him, and in His grace, He promises to hear our pleas for comfort. We know for certain that He cannot turn us away.

Thy mercy seat is open still,

Here let my soul retreat

With humble hope attend Thy will,

And wait beneath Thy feet.

I love this beautiful picture of a weary soul finding rest at the mercy seat of God. Often struggle, fear and doubt come before rest. But in the end, the place for our hurting soul is at the feet of Jesus.

Have a listen to this version by Indelible Grace. I hope it refreshes your soul as it does mine.

(If you don’t have Spotify, you can listen to the entire song here.)

The Lord Will Renew Your Strength {No Matter What Monday Repost}

A Prayer for the Weary Soul