This may become a Lord’s Day series, then again it may not, but I will be posting a few short, and hopefully pithy, posts dealing with the subject of ‘being tired’ (i.e. physical exhaustion) from a biblical-theological, and practical, perspective. This series will likely turn into a sermon series at some point, but at the moment I am still in the process of thinking through it, and so you, dear reader, will get a sneak peak.
My line of thought began a few months ago. I woke one morning particularly tired, and I stayed tired that day. As a matter of fact, I stay tired most of the time these days (but that’s a good thing, more on that in future posts). But on that particular day, I was really tired. I was overwhelmed. I had too much to do to be tired. I was praying for help. I was praying for strength. I was praying the words of Paul, which I pray regularly, that God would grant, according to the riches of his glory, to strengthen me with his might, by his Spirit, in the inner man (Eph. 3:16). Dynamite is available for the soul, and I needed a blast.
As I was praying these words, the story of Jesus sleeping in the stern of the boat, as the storm raged, began to run through my mind. I asked myself, ‘Why? Why is this story coming into my mind now?’
- Mark 4:38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?
And so I began to think about the passage as I continued praying. In a very short amount of time, probably less than a minute, the application became clear. Every exposition of this story I have ever heard had emphasized two things about Jesus – 1) his trust in God and 2) his power.
1) He trusted in the Father to such a degree that he was absolutely confident in the midst of the storm while his wavering disciples feared because they did not trust in the sovereignty of God.
2) His power is such that he can calm the storm.
Those are the points I’ve always heard emphasized. But another profound fact struck me – Jesus was sleeping, and his sleep was deep – so deep that the storm did not wake him. Who sleeps like that? I’ll tell you who. Someone who is exhausted! And why shouldn’t he be exhausted? Can you imagine the toll his ministry took on his mind and body? Can you imagine walking in his shoes for one day?
He trusted in the Father to be sure. But, just as surely, he was tired. This is pure speculation, but I cannot help but speculate: Is it possible that the, ‘Have you still not faith?’ question was a question borne somewhat out of being woken up from a deep sleep?
If you have children, you know what it is like to be woken up by them for trivial reasons – reasons that mean something to them, but from your older, wiser perspective, are petty. They hear a noise and it scares them, and so they wake up their parents. And you say, ‘Honey, don’t you know we’re right here. What are you afraid of? Now go back to sleep.’
Regardless of whether that point is accurate, the main point stands – Jesus was tired. And you cannot imagine what encouragement that one fact, on my one awful day, meant to me. I walked in the strength of Jesus’ exhaustion for an entire day. Because he was tired, I can be strong. And so can you. Because the God that ‘neither slumbers nor sleeps’ (Ps. 121) wore himself out, we have assurance that our worn out bodies will be made new – and that the ‘inner man is being renewed day by day.’
Walk in the strength of the one who exhausted himself for you today.
