He Restores My Soul and Anoints My Head
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell[a] in the house of the LORD Forever.
Did it every occur to you that the writer of this psalm had days like you and I have – that he and many of God’s great servants walked through days of fatigue and dryness of soul and body; when you just can’t take another sermon, news report of death and mayhem; when the financial demands and the emotional strain just gets a bit too much?
Now maybe you have felt that way or maybe you are feeling that way right now. Before you call for prayer or reach for your normal way of coping with life, just stop and ask your self this question: if God is God does He not know that you and I are built to have days when we will feel not only spiritual fatigue but also physical and mental?
If your answer is yes, then let us diagnose what fatigue is and find out how God wants you and I to respond to this common challenge and His provision for this. Fatigue is a common health complaint. It is, however, one of the hardest terms to define, and a symptom of many different conditions.
Fatigue, also known as weariness, tiredness, exhaustion, or lethargy, is generally defined as a feeling of lack of energy. Fatigue is not the same as drowsiness, but the desire to sleep may accompany fatigue. Apathy is a feeling of indifference that may accompany fatigue or exist independently. (Taken from an online encyclopaedia).
Fatigue is common. Around 20% of Americans claim to have fatigue intense enough to interfere with their having a normal life. Physical causes are estimated at 20-60%, and emotional causes are the other 40-80%.
a) King David was tired of war and he stayed home.
b) Samson the mighty judge of Israel was fatigued and found his solace in the arms of Delilah.
History is full of great men and women of God who had to overcome the very thing that you and I have to face in our generation. So let’s ask the Lord for His natural wisdom to help us deal with this all too common challenge.
I say this because many Christians believe that fatigue is the devil’s weapon against them and they instantly break out in fasting and put their bodies under more stress when a good night’s sleep might be just what they needed. Here are a few suggestions in a very practical way to help us all cope with fatigue.
Ways to help overcome fatigue
1. Get some rest. I don’t mean sleep I mean rest. That means lie down in bed turn off the interruptions, pull the blanket over your body and just let your body rest. It might take you a time to do this seeing that we are so accustomed to activity, but try doing this outside of your bed time and experience the results.
2. Rest in the Lord. Many times we are weary in our minds because too much information is coming to us to tune it out. Spend sometime not listening to the news, answering emails and watching the tv.
3. Find a place of quietness. I am learning to practice this place of rest in the quietness. Try not to respond to anything that really has not got your name attached to it and is marked urgent.
4. Connect with friends who can make you laugh and they help recharge your batteries. Listening to good music that lifts you up can help do this too.
5. Go for walks in nature if you can or just spend some time outside enjoying the movement of life around you.
I know most of us are getting ready for busier days as the spring and summer schedules begin to lengthen and we forget how easy it is to over do it. It is my prayer today, dear friends, that you would take the advice of the Lord through His servant Isaiah and have a restful week ahead.
For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)
Thank you all again for your prayers and kind feedback as we seek to be a blessing to the Body of Christ. – Apostle Anthony Nelson