According to a recent report, 61% of Singaporean employees are currently experiencing burnout due to increasing demands at home, work, and for some, even in their ministry.
If we recognise we’re struggling with burnout, this doesn’t make us a bad Christian; this just reminds us we are human.
We are finite beings incapable of juggling all our responsibilities purely on our own strength.
But when God assigned us responsibilities in life, He never intended for us to get burnt out.
When God assigns us responsibilities, He also provides what we need. He provides us with continual provision of joy, grace, wisdom, and strength to keep burning on.
However, our lifestyle and the choices we make are what lead to burnout. No one gets burned out immediately, but incrementally.
We see this through the life of Elijah. Elijah was a powerhouse of faith and fire serving God.
He was doing many great exploits for God, but he received a death threat from Jezebel, and he crumbled because he no longer believed he had what it took to keep going.
Elijah demonstrated that he was doing the work of ministry, but not being ministered to himself, which led to him experiencing burnout.
But God comes to him in the form of an angel in 1 Kings 19 to help Elijah recover and shows him a way to live that doesn’t lead to burnout, but to keep burning on.
Rest Our Body
And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. – 1 Kings 19:5
God first leads Elijah to take a nap and rest.
One of the most spiritual things we can do is to rest.
But instead of resting, we may be tempted to think we didn’t get much accomplished. Or that we can’t afford to rest, as there are still many things that need to be done.
We experience false guilt in our minds believing we might be letting people down if we rest.
Guilt is not from God, and in those moments when we feel guilty, remind yourself that God wants us to rest and trust Him.
God designed us to need rest and commanded us to have weekly rest through the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is God’s invitation to us to pause from work and trust in His promises through seeking His face and presence.
It was a day to remind ourselves that God is in control and He wants us to let Him be in control.
When we rest from work, we’re acknowledging that we don’t have to carry the weight of all our responsibilities alone because God will look after them.
Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s a divine necessity. It is part of God’s productivity plan, but more importantly, God wants us to trust that He is in control over every area of our lives.
Rest is God’s design, and it is for a blessing, not a burden. It is for our good, and since God wants us to rest, He assures us He will be responsible for whatever happens.
Learn to rest our bodies from work and ministry weekly to keep burning on.
Replenish Our Soul
Elijah was depleted from the tasks God had given him.
But instead of rebuking him for his frailty, God meets Elijah where he is and strengthens him by giving him something to eat.
And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”. – 1 Kings 19:7
More than just rest, Elijah needed a replenishing for his soul. He was empty on the inside.
As we’re giving and pouring out spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, we need to be replenished because living and leading on empty leads us to burnout.
So how do we do proper soul care? Imagine that we have four tanks in us. A physical, mental, emotional and spiritual tank. We need to ensure these tanks are filled up and not emptied.
Our physical tanks are filled up when we get sufficient rest.
Our mental tank can be filled up when we pursue something that engages our curiosity and creativity that keeps us mentally sharp.
We can fill our mental tank by taking time to reflect, journaling our thoughts, reading, doing puzzles, spending time with loved ones, listening to music or meditating on scripture.
There is also a connection between our physical health and mental health. Engage in physical activities like exercising because a strong body helps balance stressful situations.
As for our emotional tank, it is where we fill up on passion, enthusiasm, energy and motivation.
We all have an emotional capacity that we need to replenish by doing something that brings us joy.
For some, it can be going for a walk, painting, learning a new hobby, finding a quiet spot in a park or beach, cleaning or sorting out, cooking, or having a time of solitude.
Another good way is to spend time with someone who consistently provides you with positive emotional support, making you feel understood, and helps you feel uplifted and positive.
Someone said, “Live in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow.”
Choose to find time in our schedule to replenish our souls and fill up our tanks. Do this regularly to avoid burnout.
But there is still our spiritual tank. Which brings us to the last point.
Refresh Our Spirit
And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. – 1 Kings 19:8
Mount Horeb is renowned as the mountain of God. It is a place of encounters with God’s presence. It was a place of revelation, of impartation and of transformation.
God led Elijah to His presence because He knew what Elijah needed was for his spirit to be refreshed. Our spirit is what connects us with God.
God knew what Elijah truly needed was comfort, encouragement, assurance that God was with Him. He needed strength, hope, peace, and all that Elijah needed is found in the presence of God.
The presence of God and the assignments God has given us are inseparable. We can’t do His purposes effectively without His presence endlessly.
Have we neglected spending time in the presence of God? Have we neglected our daily time of being refreshed in His presence?
What is amazing about this story is how it shows us the loving and tender nature of God who doesn’t give up on His children.
No matter how far Elijah ran away and how he tried to deal with his feelings and burnout, God made the move to come to him.
God initiated to meet with him and that’s what God wants to do for us as well. To meet with us and assure us of His presence with us so that we can be refreshed.
Even when it doesn’t seem so, God is closer than we think, willing to refresh our spirits for us to keep burning on.
Let us make a choice to rest our bodies, replenish our souls, and refresh our spirits to keep burning on in life and not burn out.
Daily Meditations
Monday – Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Tuesday –3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
Wednesday – Psalm 23:1-3
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
Thursday– Psalm 145:18
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Friday – Jeremiah 33:3
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Saturday – Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Sunday– Exodus 20:8
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
All scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version (ESV).
By Pastor Derek Anthony
