{"id":30823,"date":"2022-09-10T15:05:56","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/how-to-pray-when-youre-burned-out\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:05:56","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:05:56","slug":"how-to-pray-when-youre-burned-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/how-to-pray-when-youre-burned-out\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Pray When You\u2019re Burned Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
Road Trip with Raj photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Drake Caudill<\/em> <\/p>\n

What\u2019s your burnout story?<\/p>\n

Perhaps COVID-19 is part of your story. Maybe your burnout story involves being overworked, cutting a vacation short due to an emergency, or navigating a family crisis. Burnout can cause a loss of zeal for ministry and result in pastors simply going through the motions of ministry. Burnout can even affect personal, spiritual disciplines.<\/p>\n

In a recent Lifeway Research study, over 70% of pastors say they need for consistency in personal prayer. It\u2019s obvious pastors understand the importance of personal prayer in ministry. But what about the pastors who have lost their zeal for ministry and are simply going through the motions of ministry each day? How can they pray when they\u2019re burned out? Thankfully, the Bible is our guide for all of life and has something to say about burnout.<\/p>\n

A biblical example of burnout<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now that you\u2019ve thought about your personal burnout story, it\u2019s important to recognize it\u2019s not always one specific event that causes burnout. Ministry burnout often comes over time as a result of multiple events. Take David for example.<\/p>\n

In 1 Samuel 18-21, we read about David’s marriage to the king’s daughter, the king\u2019s attempt to take David\u2019s life, his fleeing for his life, and his pretending to be insane. Each of these events (and others) led David to retreat to a dark cave. His time alone was soon interrupted. Everyone who was in distress gathered with David in the cave, and he quickly found himself leading over 400 men (1 Samuel 22:1-4).<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Yet while in the cave, burned out from all of the life changes, running, and hiding, David prayed. David records his plea to God in Psalm 142. In this prayer, we discover five powerful strategies for praying when we\u2019re burned out.<\/p>\n

Five strategies for prayer when you\u2019re burned out<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Acknowledge the reality of burnout<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the first four stanzas of Psalm 142, David acknowledged the reality of his situation. He confessed he had no energy when he said, <\/em>\u201cmy spirit is weak within me\u201d (v. 3a, CSB). He even acknowledged, \u201cno one stands up for me,\u201d and \u201cno one cares about me\u201d (v. 4, CSB). Aware of his weakness, David doesn\u2019t allow the reality of his weakness to keep him from coming to God in prayer.<\/p>\n

God is fully aware of the burnout you\u2019re experiencing, and He invites you into His presence through prayer. \u2014 @drakecaudill Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Ministry burnout is real, but your experience with ministry burnout doesn\u2019t make you insignificant. God calls pastors to lives of service that have many joyful and exciting moments. Yet, there are also difficult and wearisome seasons. Ministry burnout shows no partiality.<\/p>\n

Once you recognize your burnout, acknowledge the reality of your burnout to God in prayer. God is fully aware of the burnout you\u2019re experiencing, and He invites you into His presence through prayer.<\/p>\n

2. Go back to the basics<\/strong><\/p>\n

In David\u2019s burnout, he did not have the energy to consider a lengthy address to God like the author of Psalm 119. David simply cried out, \u201cYou are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living\u201d (v. 5b, CSB). For David, returning to the basics meant returning to the attributes of God.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re experiencing burnout, the attributes of God are a wondrous place to return. Carefully pray through a select passage that describes the greatness of God. For example, Genesis 1 declares God is our Creator. Exodus 15 praises God as our Warrior. Psalm 23 gently reminds us God is our Shepherd. Isaiah 40 boldly reveals God as our great Comfort. While burnout often leads to thoughts of hopelessness, revisiting the greatness of God produces hope.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
See also  Pastors Report Struggling With Time Management, Over-Commitment\ufffc<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

3. Be honest with God<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his prayer, David didn\u2019t hold anything back from God. He cried, \u201cListen to my cry, for I am very weak\u201d (v. 6a, CSB). Facing a low point in his life, David was honest with God and asked for deliverance.<\/p>\n

You have permission to be honest with God in your prayers. \u2014 @drakecaudill Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

You have permission to be honest with God in your prayers. God is omniscient and is aware of your burnout. God is omnipresent and is with you as you go through the motions of ministry. God is omnipotent and is at work in His church despite your burnout. So don\u2019t hold back. Be honest with God about your burnout.<\/p>\n

4. Show transparency in your requests<\/strong><\/p>\n

While hiding in a cave, David became the leader of 400 men. Burnout often leads to hiding, even while you\u2019re leading others. While encouraging others in their pain, you may mask your own dark loneliness so others can\u2019t see the pain. David was attempting to hide from others in a dark cave, but he could not hide from God. So David was transparent in his weakness. He prayed, \u201cRescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Free me from prison…\u201d (vv. 6b-7a, CSB).<\/p>\n

You may be able to hide your burnout from others, but you can\u2019t hide from the God of Light. \u2014 @drakecaudill Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Has the impact of COVID-19 finally caught up with you? Do you find yourself struggling to faithfully prepare a sermon each week? You may be able to hide your burnout from others, but you can\u2019t hide from the God of Light. So in your prayer, be transparent with God. \u201cHelp!\u201d may be the only word you can cry, but God hears every word you cry.<\/p>\n

5. Remember you\u2019re not alone<\/strong><\/p>\n

David ends his prayer with hope. He prayed, \u201cFree me from prison, so that I can praise your name. The righteous will gather around me, because you deal generously with me\u201d (v. 7, CSB). David had hope he would not remain in the shadow of the cave. God was with him and would not leave him to face uncertainty alone.<\/p>\n

Burnout often leaves pastors feeling uncertain about their ministry and calling. However, you are not alone. Psalm 142 gives a good example of David, but it\u2019s an even greater picture of the One who is with you always. On the cross, Jesus cried, \u201cMy God, my God, why have you abandoned me?\u201d (Matthew 27:46, CSB). Jesus experienced utmost loneliness, and now he\u2019s the victorious advocate who prays for us. In his book Soul-Depths and Soul Heights<\/em>, Octavius Winslow said, \u201cWhen I cannot think of Jesus\u2026Jesus is thinking of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not a magic formula for pastors to escape burnout. Even the use of Psalm 142 as a strategy for prayer may need to be repeated often while facing burnout. However, pastors serve a mighty God who hears every prayer\u2014even the prayers that are prayed when you\u2019re burned out.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Drake Caudill<\/h2>\n

@drakecaudill<\/p>\n

\n

Drake Caudill is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Carmi, Illinois and DMin student at Liberty University. He and his wife Alyssa have four children. Read more from Drake at\u00a0www.drakecaudill.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n