Battle Weary
Do you ever have one of those weeks? You know the ones I’m talking about. The weeks where trials and challenges stack up, seemingly all at the same time, and cause us to be battle weary.
It’s easy to believe that we don’t have the capacity to work through tough situations. It’s also easy to feel like failures when things don’t goes as planned. Add exhaustion and tired to the mix and we’re ready to throw in the towel.
Thus the battle weary stage sets in with the enemy striking at every turn and leaving us disappointed.
Frustration
Any number of situations and circumstances cause us pain and frustration because we don’t typically get to pick and choose what impacts us. And more times than not, we don’t have control over the complexity or depth of a situation.
It’s during these times that our ‘tired and weary’ hang out there and we are waiting to be rescued.
Trials and challenges present themselves in any number of ways. It could be a job situation that sends us reeling and desperate to get things back on track. Or an emergency presents itself and the money we have saved for one goal suddenly has to be re-routed to take care of another. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding with a family member or friend that’s turned into a years’ long ordeal that remains broken. Or a good friend wounds us with hurtful words or actions.
Whatever drives us to our knees must faithfully be met with our hearts turning to God.
When I’m faced with one or more of these situations I sometimes want to wallow in the yucky mess until I’m ready to deal with it. And occasionally, God just lets me. It’s not good for me but He knows I’ll come around when I’m tired of trying to hold things together by myself and turn it all over to Him.
Trust the Lord
He’s calling us to trust Him.
Psalm 55:22 says to, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”
Many of the tough times we face are temporary. I’m being honest when I tell you it doesn’t always feel that way.
We may have to wait for God’s perfect timing, but it’s in the midst of the wait that we find we can fully trust Him to help us navigate the not-so-good times and turn the negatives into positives.
There is comfort in knowing that nothing is too big or too small for God to help us to make it through the tough days. It is He who works out all things for good, restores peace in our souls and remains victorious.
When I find myself in these situations I equip myself with God’s Word. One of the Scriptures I have memorized is, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV
Strength and Peace
While we know that God never gives us more than we can handle, it is through the trying times that He turns our struggles into strengths and our pain into peace as we draw closer to Him.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is about David wanting wings like a dove so he could fly away from the storm. When what he really needed were wings like an eagle so he could fly above the storm. (Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 55:6).
How do we get to that place? By calling on the Lord and turning over our burdens to Him. It is God who enables us to fly above the storm and overcome the battle weary days.
3 Ways to Handle the Tough Times
- PRAY BOLDLY – Cast your cares and concerns upon the Lord. Our prayers connect us to the Most Holy One and He hears every one. I love our one on one conversations and feel better when I’ve had an all out ‘Prayer Cry‘ and turned over my frustrations and problems to Him.
- SEEK HIS TRUTHS – God’s Word provides an eternal message, not a worldly one. The truth is the truth and His Word remains steadfast. Declare it so with every breath you take. Memorize key Scriptures to recall when the going gets tough.
- LIVE FULL IN YOUR FAITH – Sometimes we go at life hard and end up running low on fumes. Doubt creeps in and the enemy stands ready to thwart our efforts to handle adversity and thrive. But whatever comes our way, God protects us and prevails in all of His goodness to win the battle.
I’m praying for you as you walk through the tough times. We won’t always be brave and courageous, but if we place our full trust in Him and take a leap of faith, the Lord will carry us through.
Yeah, it’s true that only in God we can find rest, and waiting for His time is the perfect decision we can make in our lives. Thank you so much for this reminder!