Five Keys for Nourishment in Weariness
Take a look at the The Weight of Weariness sermon here.
This Sunday I had the opportunity to teach on The Weight of Weariness. As a church, we spent some specific time tackling the idea of “bone-deep” weariness.
Bone-deep weariness is when the ache of weariness has sunk into our deep motivating capacity and caused one to despair. It can be noted in many ways. What are some of the ways you’re experiencing weariness in this season?
If you want to know more about Weariness, check out the sermon The Weight of Weariness.
If you’re experiencing Bone-Deep Weariness (like many still are, even as the pandemic resolves), here are Five easy, natural ways to open your heart to receive the love of God, the work of the Sprit, and the rest your body/soul needs:
Take a moment and listen to the prompts and let your heart be led in worship!
1. Listen to Worship Music that turns your heart to the Lord:
We recently offered a worship service of just Songs & Stories, no sermon, no scripture reading, just a time to turn our attention to God as a community. This is so powerful.
OR, checkout our playlist of Worship Wednesay songs and meditations from our Worship Director, Joe Strock. This offers hours and hours of the powerful weariness antidote that is time with Jesus.
Also, I’ve included a few videos of my favorite songs for encouragement and solace during weariness, check them out below…
Here are some Worship Songs that have been helpful during my seasons of Weariness:
2. When you can’t speak/feel the Truth, listen to it (literaly) !
Did you know the Scriptures were originally meant to be listened to not read?
Before the Reformation and the printing press, most “common folk” were illiterate, and so ideas, teaching, education and, yes, the Bible was only read-to the listening ears of the people.
Sometimes when our brains are overloaded, or we’re weary-at-heart, listening to Scripture being read-over-us is the best way to sit-back and just receive from God’s Spirit.
During 2021, Keri and I have been listening through the bible using the Youversion App on our iPhones. This app is available to everyone where on a phone or on a website, and it includes free audio versions of the Bible in a variety of translations.
My favorite has been listening to the Message Version, which has a very modern flavor to the wording, and Keri’s favorite has been the New Living Translations, but there are so many options! It even has the ESV, which is the version our church uses every service!
Here are links for this free resource,
So you can easily listen to the bible being read over you:
3. Enter into Powerful Stories of God’s movement:
This is the Biblical Value of Remembering. Whether it’s through reading the Mighty Acts of God in the Scriptures, Recalling the powerful event of the Resurrection, or witnessing the testimony of how God is moving all over our nation and world today—the act of Remembering can be a powerful place to re-connect with the Holy Spirit.
This story was originally included my wife’s email to the Kid’s Ministry in April 2020
My wife, Keri, sent out this story in an email from April 2020, during the first few months of the Pandemic. Take a look at the amazing ways God can move in our lives:
Many of you may have already seen this, but it is a short few clips of a town in Georgia that gathered to sing “Waymaker” over the hospital during the first wave of COVID patients.
So neat to see the community come together!
She then included this touching clip of a girl’s honest response to the clip above….
I wanted to share this precious clip of a little girl and her heart response, after watching the clip above, during this COVID crisis.
I think it is a beautiful picture of what it can look like to feel scared, fear, and even deep compassion in God's presence, and proclaim and receive His truth right in the thick of it.
4. Re-connect with Others Who Can Encourage and Pray with you.
Because we’ve been isolated and distanced for so long, our social, relational tanks are on empty. When we have this dryness, it can seem like a huge hurdle just to ask for help, to share a prayer, or to make a new or renewed connection. It’s as though this skill of connection has atrophied during our time alone in 2020.
Well, one way to make sure this tank is getting refueled is to join (or rejoin) a Connect Group on Sundays (offered just after the service). If you’re interested, send an email to Dave or Danny and we can make sure you connected with, prayed for, and encouraged during this time.
5. Receive Soul-Care in the places you need it most!
As many of you know, my wife and I run a nonprofit ministry based out of HSCC, called Soul-Care.
We would love to meet with you, listen to your process, hear the areas that are hurting, and help you develop a deeper connection with God in the midst of whatever season you’re in!
Remember, God is always active! And we can help you pay attention to His presence and movement in your life, so you can stay connected, and begin on a path toward restoration!
Prayer in Weariness:
Lord, You know me, my heart, my mind, my body, my life…
You know where my weariness rests, and all the causes of it…
I need You, You alone understand me, my life, my purpose, my present, past, and way forward…
Lord, by Your Spirit, Search me, O God, know my heart, try me, and know my anxious thoughts,
See if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in Your way everlasting…
You brought be to this place Lord, You know what You’re about in this, and You know how to lead me forward,
I bring my heart to You now,
Lead me to the Rest that is Your presence,
and help me to find a rhythm of rest, even today, Lord.
Amen.