From Weary to Refreshed | April 28th, 2021

Have you ever come to the point of complete exhaustion with all of your strength and vigor seemingly zapped from you? If so, you know what it’s like to feel weary.

Years ago, my evening flight was delayed over and over again due to inclement winter weather. I was finally able to leave early that next morning, but it had been impossible to sleep the night before knowing I was taking the first available flight out. By the time I arrived home, I had been awake for nearly 30 hours. As I groggily stumbled into my bedroom, I couldn’t even muster enough energy to change clothes. I immediately collapsed onto my bed, falling into a deep sleep. I was beyond weary! 

Has your soul ever been in a place of weariness? I think now, more than ever, many of us can attest to this as we have been feeling a deep sense of unease about what lies ahead. Surrounded by the world’s ever increasing turmoil, we can easily become weary and in dire need of refreshment.

The more weary we become, the more we are dependent on the only One who can truly refresh our soul. Sadly, we often try so hard to find a remedy for our weariness in everything but God. The harder we try, the more we begin to feel parched in a world that doesn’t offer even the slightest trickle of refreshment capable of quenching our thirst. 

If we are honest with ourselves, we know this thirst is for God alone. He made each one of us this way so we would be drawn to Jesus Christ for an intimate, loving relationship that satisfies our deepest longings. These are longings for unconditional love, true purpose, lasting joy, and perfect peace even in the midst of all the constant turmoil. If the world was able to provide for us in this way, we would never crave what we need most. What God offers us is life-giving and only found in Him.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38

While vacationing at a resort in Mexico, my husband and I noticed “refreshment stations” set up along the paths to and from the beach made available for anyone staying there. We could choose from a variety of ice cold, thirst-quenching drinks made from the freshest fruit. With each day filled with “strenuous” outdoor activities (like lounging) in the hot sun, we frequented them quite often to re-energize ourselves. 

Of course, there was plenty of water available in the pool for us to drink, but it was full of chemicals and would never quench our thirst quite like the delicious drinks at the refreshment stations. It would probably also make us feel horribly ill! If the best was offered to us, why would we want anything else?

Without a desire for the best that God offers, our taste becomes depraved. We can stifle and ignore what we need most by continuing to strive in an endless effort to fill ourselves with all that is meaningless, empty, and godless, but it will only breed more discontent adding greatly to our weariness. 

We can never be completely refreshed until we understand that God is the only One who can replace our weariness with His vitality while satisfying the deepest longings of our soul. Our thirst for all He offers is quickly quenched when we accept the invitation for an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, our life-giving river of refreshment.

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25

Kimberly Moore is a blogger, speaker, and author of Beauty in a Life Repurposed and Kingdom Sparkle. To learn more, visit her website at kingdomsparkle.com.

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