Overcoming Spiritual Exhaustion (Pt. 2)

Last week we discussed how often we are far more aware of the spiritual and emotional withdrawals in our lives than we are of God’s deposits. It can be quite frustrating, especially for those dutiful ones who withdraw regularly for a time of quiet devotion. Like turning up at the fuel station but never quite getting gas in the tank.

Continue reading to discover how King Saul and Kind David both responded when facing similar problems, and how it turned out for them.

Two Kings

King Saul started well enough. His story is chronicled in the book of First Samuel. He hadn’t wanted to be king but soon embraced it with gusto. But his life’s demands began to exceed his spiritual capacity. As we will see, the pressure exerted by our “outer world” circumstances will always result in an implosion back to the capacity of our “inner world.”

Saul’s enemy had him overwhelmingly outnumbered as he awaited a battle at Gilgal. Men were deserting him and fear gripped his heart. Where was Samuel the prophet? Saul had been told to meet Samuel there and wait so they could sacrifice to God, but time was running out. The pressure was greater than Saul’s faith in both God and His prophet, so he decided to take the initiative. Saul was in trouble, but his real failure was that he didn’t take a breath.

Saul conducted the sacrificial ceremony that Samuel was supposed to perform, hoping to garner God’s favour. Sadly, his action was a significant over-reach of authority, and it effectively disqualified him from fulfilling his calling. His life was never the same. His story became a tale of fear, jealousy, and rage against God’s purposes.

When Samuel arrived and saw what Saul had done, he prophesied at that moment that God had someone else in mind. This new king would grow to fulfil all that God had for the nation. His choice was a young man who shared the very heart of God – David.¹

David was not only a warrior; he was also a worshipper. His work for God was an overflow of his walk with God. For years he had sat with his lyre, singing and enjoying the companionship of God. Safe under the wings of the Faithful One, David could only grow in faith.

He came to public prominence when his heart came to the surface, not just his skills. As he heard Goliath trash-talk the God he loved, David could not remain passive. His ears could not tolerate the blasphemy because his love for God was so strong in his core. Either Goliath was about to die, or David was, simply because he could not exist in the presence of such slander.

You know how the story ends – the passion of David’s heart combined with a single smooth stone ended the day in David’s favour. And in God’s.

Making Room to Breathe

This was only the start for David, however. He had to grow in the capacity required to avoid the errors of his predecessor, so God called him into a wilderness of experience. There, he would grow his spiritual lungs for fourteen years or so through trials and unreasonable pressure that threatened to snuff him out.

Yet David remained empowered by the heart of God, writing through those years, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.”³

He was a man of violence, prone to sin, and capable of terrible decisions. Yet David overcame it all to be the greatest king Israel would have. He even grew to become an Old Testament pointer towards Christ Himself.

David had continued to morph his ability to breathe spiritually as each level of maturity progressed. He gave himself permission to rest. He spoke to his own soul, telling himself to hope in God alone rather than in the outcome of his challenges. He recognised his tendencies to fail, bringing his shortcomings before God in transparency. David was real before God.

The core difference between the two kings was their ability to rely on and work with God. They both started well … but only one navigated the pathway of developing his internal world to match his calling.

The rhythms of grace are a way to describe this ability to increasingly inhale and exhale the grace of God. As you continue along your own journey, there are strategic moments where you need to walk to a new rhythm. As you are confronted with each challenge to grow, you will stand at a fork in the road. You can choose to partner with God in a new way, or you can attempt to go it alone as you try to do the new things your life will require in all the strength you can muster.

God will not force your hand; the choices remain yours. Yet there is no entry into the promised land of your calling without the sufficient tools of faith.

I know you want to walk and work with God. That is why you are still reading. I am happy to share with you the principles of this journey as you continue reading these posts. I have had the pleasure of leading thousands of people through this path. I know that you, too, will learn to breathe as you are created to.

You were designed to live, not merely exist. Your spiritual lungs were created for grace – it is time to let them breathe.

Continue reading each week and you will discover real life.

Your Response:

Have you had moments along your journey of faith where you became aware that your inner walk with God is not keeping up with the demands of your life? If so, what caused you to over-reach in that way?

References:

1. 1 Samuel 13:14
2. 1 Samuel 17
3. Psalm 23:1-3