God Is Sufficient When You’re Weak, Worn, and Weary
A skirmish of maple leaves flutters to the earth—the color of moonrise on a cloudless night. It’s early in the season for falling leaves, but perhaps these leaves have grown tired from holding on. I’m tired tonight, too. I could use a gentle reminder that God is sufficient to help me in my weak, worn, and weary seasons.
I decide to sit beneath the maples with my Bible, and I stumble into these words: “Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (1 Corinthians 3:5 NASB).
Here in the silence of the words, I’m reminded that God wants me to trust him to help me be the woman he has created me to be—even when I’m weary.
God Is Sufficient in Your Weariness
Some part of your life probably feels especially difficult when you’re worn and weary. It’s exponentially harder to teach your classroom of students, smile at ungrateful patrons, chase your grandchildren, or serve your patients with a smile when you’re tired.
You might be weary because you can never seem to get ahead at work. No matter how hard you work, there’s always more to do.
Maybe you’re worn out from keeping up with your kids while trying to work from home.
Perhaps you’re physically exhausted because you lie awake at night thinking about everything you need to do the next day.
I don’t know about you, but loving God and loving others feels ridiculously impossible when I’m physically exhausted. I can muddle my way through laundry, errands, and meal prep, but extending kindness and patience to people when I’m tired is hard.
The Next Time You Feel Worn and Weary
The next time you feel exhausted, remind yourself of 1 Corinthians 3:5. God is providing an opportunity for you to find your power and ability from the overflow of his sufficiency.
When you feel exhausted, remind yourself of 1 Corinthians 3:5. God is providing an opportunity for you to find your power and ability from the overflow of his sufficiency. #GodsPower #GodsGrace #weariness #TrustingGod Share on XInstead of trying to muster more strength, lean into God in your weakness.
Ask him to fill you with his love and reveal his sufficiency in your emptiness.
He is waiting to help you.
The secret no one tells you in your worn and weary moments is this: Your weariness is an opportunity for God to reveal his power in your life.
Bible Verses About God’s Sufficiency:
Meanwhile, cling to these promises about God’s desire to empower you in your weakness. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you press into God’s strength in your weakness.
1. In your weakest moments, God is waiting to reveal his powerful presence.
We find this promise here:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
Friend, your weakness is the perfect backdrop for God to show up and make his power known. He wants to pour his love through you when you have nothing left to give.
2. God is sufficient to restore you in his perfect timing.
We find this promise here:
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
In the words of a wise adage, This, too, shall pass.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other. The season you are living in today is not a forever season. Keep your eyes fixed on God’s sufficiency as you wait for this season to shift.
3. God is gently reminding you to stay close to him.
We find this truth here:
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
We abide in the Lord by talking to him throughout our days, spending set-apart moments in quiet prayer, reading our Bibles, and keeping our eyes fixed on him. Stay connected to the life-giving Vine throughout your days, and he will sustain you. He will also enable your life to bear good fruit.
4. God has given you all you need to walk with him.
You can trust that God is sufficient because he promises to equip you with all you need to fulfill his will for you. We find this promise here:
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. . . 2 Peter 1:3-4
An Invitation to Talk to God About the State of Your Soul
Today, I invite you to spend a few quiet moments with the Lord and ask him what he wants you to know about the worn and weary areas of your life.
What would it look like to do the work set before you through God’s power when you’re tired?
Thank God that your weakness is an opportunity for him to show his sufficiency. Imagine his love and power flowing through you in your weariness. He is waiting to make his sufficiency known.
When I’m especially weary, I try to look to Jesus every time I feel tired throughout the day. I ask him to help me and imagine his love and power filling me. In this way, if I notice that I feel exhausted 25 times throughout the day, I also experience 25 moments of connection with the Lord.
In this way, God is glorified in my weakest moments.
Calling all parents and grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional Book to Help You Find Strength in God:
I have a gift for you today. Hope for Hard Days is my free 10-day online devotional to help you hold onto hope when life is tough. You will find 10 readings to help you connect with God and rest in his sufficiency. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox today for free with promo code HOPE.
