My Bible verses for the times of tiredness
Matthew 11:28 and Psalm 121 are some of my go-to Bible verses when I'm tired but in this fairly small set you will find other verses, those quoted less often too. They will all help you to find strength in difficult times.
I am not going to present you with a list of “100 Bible verses to help you when you are tired” or say that reading certain Bible verses will take away your tiredness. It won’t – if the problem is a long-term, it is best to seek professional help.
But I will share with you my personal ‘collection’ of Bible verses that have brought me peace, comfort and also a boost of energy when I’ve been tired. I pray and hope that they will also shift your perspective and provide relief in hard time.
Some of the Bible verses that you’ll find here are quoted so often on different occasions that referring to them in relation to being tired might seem like a cliché but they hold a special place my heart. God spoke to me through all of them in different times of my life when I was really tired. Also, however popular a Bible verse might be, we need to remember that it is still the Word of God and it carries His power.
These verses remind me that I am not alone in what I am going through and they bring comfort.
This is also my hope for you today – that as you read them and my short reflections on each, you’ll remember that you are not alone in your tiredness and God wants to meet you in that part of your life too and walk with you through it.
Come to me…
When, at the end of a long day, I sit or lie down on the bed and tell God how tired I am, there is only one Bible verse that pops up in my mind as an answer to my ‘complaint’ – Matthew 11:28.
“Come to me, all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
It is there always and, without fail, brings comfort and gives me peace. These words also remind me that I might be tired because for too long I have been toiling by myself without letting Jesus lead me and help me.
These words are like an evening cuddle from God saying it’ll be ok, just stay close to me. You too remember that however tired you might be, you can always go to Jesus.
The verse that comes next – verse 29, has also taught me something more about why I might be tired and what the remedy for it is. If you want to find out the details, come back next week to read a post specifically on Matthew 11:28-29.
Where does my strength really come from?
On the other hand, when I wake up tired (sigh…), after not so great night, or when I feel tired or exhausted during the day and just want some rest and comfort, I always think of Bible verses in Psalm 121:1-4:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-4
It takes my focus away from fake comforters like food, negative thoughts or busyness and shifts my focus back to God as the source of real power and strength. It always makes me realise that nothing but God provides me with unending strength. This thought energises me and keeps me going.
When you feel like you have no strength and energy left, remember what their real source is.
The only source of real beauty
When I don’t sleep well, I don’t always feel great about myself and, especially, my appearance.
In times like these, God also uses Psalm 121, in a bit altered version, to remind me that as much as good sleep is important, this is not the source of my real beauty.
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my beauty come from? My beauty comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
My beauty comes always from Him and if I rely on that truth, I’ll shine his light and glory to others, however little sleep I might get.
Again, focusing on God as my source of beauty shifts my perspective and helps me to find balance. Knowing that my real beauty comes from inside and that it is God who changes my heart, helps me to face the outside world with the right attitude and have grace for myself.
Wait
When I start feeling that spiritual or emotional tiredness is coming, I think of Isaiah 40:31.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Or as Good News Translation puts it:
But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles, they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.
Isaiah 40:31 GNT
This verse reminds me that I’m getting tired and worn out because I haven’t trusted the Lord and waited for his instructions but have been working in my own strength instead.
Reading this verse helps me to slow down and remember who is in charge. Reflecting upon this verse usually opens a period of resting and waiting and gives me peace about God’s guidance. It reminds me that I need to trust the Lord more, instead of relying on my own understanding and rushing into things.
In relation to that, I really like what Oswald Chambers wrote about the periods of waiting in his book “My Utmost for His Highest”:
“When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification – to be set apart from sin and made holy – or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there’s doubt – wait.”
God remains the strength of my heart
When tiredness accumulates and turns into a cold or more serious sickness, my body reminds me that I have not taken enough care of it. Then, my mind goes to Psalms 73:26:
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
Psalm 73:26 NLT
It reminds me that we live in human, not heavenly, bodies and they do get tired. Despite that weakness, God is our strength in all circumstances and He is the one who fills my heart with gladness, faith and inner strength. Whatever the problem, He is my strength and I can go through it.
On a similar note there’s another verse that I’ve ‘discovered’ recently that I’ll be referring to when inner strengthening and support is what I need.
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
I hope you have and will find strength in the verses above. I also encourage you to create your own ‘collection’ of verses for tired times. Closer you get to Jesus the more He will point you to the right ones.
There are other verses that keep me going when I’m tired and I will share them over the next few days on my Facebook page so make sure you like it. You are welcome to download the graphics included in this post and use them for your personal purpose or share them on social media. If you do, it would be great if you could drop me a line or tag Good Good Life, so I know that you liked one or more of them.
Keep going
Whatever your level of tiredness, God is not indifferent to it. He gives you rest, He reminds you that He’s your source of strength and beauty and that no matter what happens to your body, He’ll be with you and will strengthen you. He will point you to or remind you of the Bible verses that will carry you through this difficult time but He also wants to heal you from either temporary or permanent tiredness.
There’s a way to that healing and we’ll talk about it in the next post. For now, if you’re tired, take some physical and mental rest, even if it means locking yourself away in the bathroom for 5 minutes. Pray, be kind to yourself and do something you enjoy. You’ll see the difference. And if you have your favourite Bible verses you go to when you are tired, share them in comments.