“Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” So He said, “Go forth…” (I Kings 19:9-11a NASB)
Some of the synonyms for burnout in the Merriam Webster Dictionary are collapse, exhaustion, fatigue, tiredness, weariness. Burnout occurs in many areas of our lives. There is physical, emotional, and spiritual burnout. There is relationship burnout and occupational burnout. All of us are have experienced burnout fighting the pandemic and in trying to understand the standstill status in the political arena. We are also exhausted by the daily news stories about violence in our communities. And that’s not all! Listen up! There is also burnout related to performing our Christian duties. What do we need to address such burnout? Some would say we need to apply the antonyms identified in the same dictionary cited above. Those antonyms include words like refreshment, rejuvenation, rejuvenescence, and revitalization. In our church experience we have used a few other words that start with the letter “r” frequently: revival, renewal, and rededication. All these are remedies we can rely on, but there is one remedy to burnout that we need to regard as the remedy that can always bring us out of weariness; that is if we follow the remedy. That remedy is called “The Voice of The Lord.”
The Lord speaks to us directly through His word. And when burnout occurs, and it will, we need to hear the first words told to Elijah in I Kings 19:15, “Go, return on your way” and then then like Elijah, we must continue doing whatever it is that the Lord asks us to do. We must continue the work, just as He prescribes. I just said, “when burnout occurs,” but understand that I was messaging to you that burnout will come in all our lives at some time or the other. When it does come, get in the Scriptures, and hear the voice of the Lord. Oh He will listen to your reasons for burnout. He will let you get things off your chest; allow you to release your anxiety. He will question you to make you verbalize what is going on. But in the end, He will give you specific instructions to get you from focusing on your condition and instead, have you turning your attention to following through on your calling as one of God’s people who remain here for a purpose, His purpose, as long as we live.
Burned out? Get busy as the Lord instructs you. Your time for rest will come in the future and when it comes, be ready for a great experience. Have a great Saturday! As always, remember tomorrow is the day of worship. Make sure you show up and hear the voice of the Lord. I’ll be praying for you! Pray for me too! And if you see any signs of burnout showing up in your life, use the words below as you pray. Be blessed!
“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:25 NKJV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King