4 Biblical Figures Who Went Through Burnout

Four Biblical Figures Who Got Burnout

Tiredness and exhaustion are universal experiences. Tools in today’s society imply that we seldom, if ever, disengage, making this an even more accessible goal. We can always be contacted. Having access to work, marketing, promotion, and information is as close as the nearest gadget at all times. That’s great in some ways, but it also means that stress, anxiety, and information overload are only a click away.

How often do you sit down to do something like read a book or play a game with your kids, but instead find yourself checking your phone for new messages, Facebook updates, or tweets instead?

and you have no recollection of answering it? Yikes. We’re sinking on autopilot, out of sight by the time we peek up from the bottom of the well. When we include in the additional stress of worrying about money to ensure that our children attend a decent school, our vehicles are maintained with enough safety features, and we always have enough food to eat, the situation becomes untenable.

Tiredness is common.

Unfortunately, I think Christians just make things worse for themselves. Oftentimes, when believers reach the point of overstimulation, overinformation, and overwork, they compound their exhaustion by piling on an additional burden in the form of guilt.

Those who were raised in the church probably heard (a lot) about the value of giving back to the community. How important it is to serve others, make sacrifices, accept one’s cross, and join the nursery shift already! Serve the homeless some soup in a ladle. Tutor children on Sundays. Make a sizable tithing donation. Donate. Volunteer. Pour.

However, an empty cup makes it impossible to pour.

Aiming for selfless service and selfless love is a Christlike pursuit. The tricky part is that we can’t remain in that pouring position indefinitely. Jesus, himself, sometimes slipped away from his ministry and the throng to spend time in private prayer. It’s hard to overstate how important it is to take a break and recharge.

Recognizing the wonderful idea of relatability is one of the most effective means of overcoming feelings of shame and judgement. When we confide in someone and they acknowledge our pain, struggle, or shame with a simple “me too,” we feel a tremendous feeling of relief and healing. Being with other people is comforting. This is inspiring. A reassuring thought.

Here are four biblical figures who, like us, struggled with burnout. (And all the what-to-dos and what-not-to-dos we may learn from their mistakes and successes!)

1) David

You’ll find David’s praises and his regrets throughout the Psalms. While many of his works were written from a place of hope, he also documented the beauty and majesty of God and his unfailing love and faithfulness. David is a great biblical example of how to experience and work through feelings, but also remembering to direct those sentiments toward God and reorient them in light of what we know to be true about him.

David’s broad range of emotions is well-known. Although he was a “man after God’s own heart,” his misdeeds would have repercussions for years to come. The adultery he committed with Bathsheba led him to attempt to hide his tracks by having her husband killed. The kid they had together was stillborn, and he went on to have a rocky relationship with his subsequent sons. In spite of his flaws, David’s life is ultimately one of redemption and the Lord’s redemptive work in him. It would be naive of us to assume that David’s voyage didn’t leave him feeling exhausted at some point. After all, he had to escape several assassination attempts, hide in caverns, fight in battles, battle wild creatures, and confront a giant, just to mention a few of his many adversaries.

Verse 15 of 2 Samuel “When hostilities resumed between the Philistines and Israel, David led his men into battle. As a result, David started to feel exhausted.”

The day’s events had worn him out. To be fair, I can see why. If this weren’t true, I don’t believe the Bible would state it so plainly. David had done a few laps around the track before they started serving coffee. By looking to him as an example, we may discover how to rely on the Lord even when we’re going through the worst times of our lives, experiencing the most intense feelings, and facing the most terrifying of fears but yet remaining steadfast on Christ, our Rock.

2) Elijah

If you ever needed proof of the effectiveness of a sleep and a snack, look no further than Elijah. A tremendous miracle had recently occurred in which this man of God had a hand: God answered his prayer during a “idol competition,” during which evil Ahab had mistakenly expected his idols to appear and pay for the sacrifice. Nonetheless, there was complete quiet. Then the Lord God of Elijah appeared in a whirlwind of blazing wrath and put an end to the competition. We can safely anticipate that Elijah will continue to feel great after that! But the wicked queen Jezebel was not pleased with the outcome of the tale, so she sent a message to warn Elijah that his life was in danger. Elijah fled instead of waiting for God to provide help, even though God had just intervened on his behalf. He ran out into the desert, where he knelt down behind a tree and begged God to end his life. Perhaps the very first “pity party” to be documented in history. (Check out 1 Kings 19)

But before we get too down on Elijah, let’s pause and think about how frequently we’re just as guilty. How often do we have a personal encounter with God, an answered prayer, or some other “God moment” just to spiral back into a time of doubt or sin?

Even when we overreact, God sees and cares for us, as this narrative continues to show. An angel was sent by the Lord to deliver a cake and a jug of water to Elijah. He ate, slept again, woke up, and then continued on his journey. After his renowned siesta and lunch, Elijah continued to have miraculous encounters with God throughout the rest of 1 Kings 19. He was cared for and allowed to continue in his mission, rather than being chastised for his exhaustion.

Similarly, don’t you think we should?

3) Job

To ask ourselves the unsettling question, “what would we do in that situation?” is what makes Job, probably more than any other biblical book, the most unsettling read. Job was put through hell and yet managed to praise God in the end. However, his trip wasn’t nearly as straightforward as that. There were times when Job questioned things, doubted himself, and sought out poor counsel. He was unable to finish his testing season since he had lost his family, wealth, animals, and finally most of his health.

The story of Job may teach us many things, including the value of good advice in times of difficulty. If your marriage is having problems, it’s not a good idea to seek advice from your love-scorned single pals or from someone who just divorced for unbiblical reasons. As the saying goes, “misery likes company,” and even our closest confidants might deceive us out of pride, fear, or selfishness.

Another thing we can learn from Job is how significant it is to keep in mind the truth found in Job 1:21 (ESV): “It is the Lord who bestows, and it is the Lord who takes away; may His name be praised. He gives us everything and it is never really ours to keep. When seen from that angle, we relax our grip.

Favorite part: God did not abandon Job to his suffering but instead met him there. He spoke to Job kindly, reminding his servant of the most important fact Job needed to know: God’s identity. To think that God is also omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent is mind-boggling. While speaking with the Lord, Job experienced conviction and repentance. Then God did the complete opposite, blessing Job and restoring everything that he had lost.

WOW, what a statement!

4) Naomi

The book of Ruth tells the tale of Naomi and her family. Within the first few words, we learn that the mother has suffered the loss of her husband and subsequently her two boys. That’s a lot of suffering for someone like Job in a very short period of time. Furthermore, being a widow in the past was much more difficult than it is now. Without a spouse, women were vulnerable to extreme poverty and danger. The loss was compounded since they lacked the opportunities that modern women have. The loss of a loved one, and the fear of abandonment, combined. Not having her boys around to take care of her was an additional blow.

Ruth 1:12-13 (ESV) reveals Naomi’s feelings of despair: “Daughters, please go back the way you came; I am much too old to marry now. If I should declare I had hope, even if I should have a husband today night and should produce boys, would you consequently wait until they were grown? So, would you decide to put off getting married because of this? No, my dear daughters; the Lord’s hand has been raised against me, and it is with much bitterness that I say this.

It was as though the Lord himself had risen up against her. I think we can all identify with this having felt this way at one time or another. Problems with money and relationships and wayward kids make up for the fact that life is difficult. When hard times come, it’s easy to feel that God has turned His back on us and stopped blessing us.

The remainder of the book is intriguing, however, as we see Naomi’s tale unfold via Ruth and Boaz, and ultimately culminate in the birth of Jesus Christ. While Naomi’s suffering was genuine, it was only transitory. And because of Ruth’s fidelity and the Lord’s hand in their lives, Naomi shared in a gift beyond her wildest dreams. God was present and active throughout, scheming for a bigger good than they could have imagined at the time. We would be well to adopt the same attitude of trust and hope, keeping in mind that even when relationships are strained, sorrow is loud, and the future seems unclear, a loving Father is at work, writing the finish of the narrative.