Do you find yourself too tired to pray or read God’s Word? These days, I think most of us are too tired to do almost anything! The dizzying pace of the world and the constant onslaught of information feel like they are eating our souls. Our hurried and frenetic pace of life is, without a doubt, a tool of Satan (1 Peter 5:8). The more tired he can cause us to be, the less effective we will be for the Kingdom of God.
With so much to do and so little time available to do it all, we must be diligent in monitoring our priorities (Matthew 6:33). It’s so easy to let the important matters slip in favor of the simpler or more pleasurable tasks (Luke 10:41-42).
When I was a young boy, someone started producing lapel pins that read, “Jesus first.” They became quite popular in certain Christian circles, and I can remember being proud to pin mine to a shirt collar or pocket. Like the “WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)” bracelets that would follow a couple of decades later, these well-meaning accessories were eventually co-opted by people who clearly did not put Jesus first, much less cared about what He would do in their situation. As a result, the pins and bracelets faded away over time. While we might think of these things as an eye-rolling gimmick, what they did well was serve as a ready reminder of what our priorities should be.
Perhaps we need a similar piece of jewelry or sign on our mirrors today. When we’re too tired to live out our commitment to Christ, a glance at such a reminder might help bring our mission back to the forefront of our minds. If our priorities are right in the first place, we won’t need the reminder. If we begin our day in prayer and in God’s Word, He won’t get squeezed out when we engage in the chaos of our lives. It’s no secret that when we become pressed for time, time with God is too often the first thing we jettison from our schedule.
We all have time for the things we value most (Ephesians 5:15-16). I know this because those are the things we spend our time doing. The almost universal excuse goes something like, “Well, I work 60 hours a week, and I can’t just quit my job to spend more time with God!” I’m certain God always marvels at our incredible faith when we say such things. If it takes quitting your job to spend more time with God, then I am confident He will provide for you. But I don’t think quitting your job is the answer for most people. There are 168 hours in every week. Once you take out your job and sleep, what are you doing with the other fifty hours?
We all have 101 things we cram into our schedules each week, but how many of those things are as important as the commitment you promised to Jesus? Remember when you said, “I surrender all”? Now you are too tired to even pray for fifteen minutes! I get that we’re too tired these days. I feel it too. But fatigue is a symptom of not prioritizing time with God. Remember, He came to give you life to the fullest (John 10:10). Jesus promises peace and rest (Matthew 11:28-30). You won’t find any of those things until you make Him the most important part of each day. Everybody is tired, but starting your day immersed in God’s Word is one of the surest ways to combat such fatigue. Let’s realign our priorities and stop complaining about being too tired to spend time in prayer.