Sometimes, being strong is exhausting. You can only carry so much for so long. Eventually, the responsibilities, worries, and pressures of life begin to take their toll. You may keep going, keep showing up, and keep doing what needs to be done, but deep down, you know you’re tired.
Maybe you’re physically tired, emotionally exhausted, or your heart is simply worn out from carrying a burden you’ve been carrying for far too long. So, what do you do when you feel like you don’t have anything left?
Jeremiah 31:25 offers this encouragement:
“For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”
What a beautiful promise!
God knows when we’re weary. He knows the burdens we’re carrying and the battles we’re fighting. He sees the struggles that others may never notice. He understands the weight that has left us feeling exhausted, and he doesn’t respond by telling us to simply try harder. He promises to give rest to the weary.
Sometimes we think we have to be strong all the time. We feel like we can’t let our guard down or admit we’re struggling. However, God already knows.
We don’t have to pretend we’re okay when we’re not. We can come to the Lord with our weariness, worries, fears, disappointments, and questions. God is not disappointed by our weakness. He meets us there.
God’s promise isn’t only about rest. Notice Jeremiah also speaks of joy.
God can bring joy to a heart that has been weighed down by sorrow. He can breathe new life into a spirit that feels discouraged. He can restore hope when we feel like hope is running low. That doesn’t mean every problem disappears overnight. It doesn’t mean we will never feel tired or sad again. But it does mean we don’t have to face those feelings alone.
The same God who calls us to stand firm when life gets difficult is the God who gives us strength when we’re weary and joy when we’re hurting. So if you’re tired or hurting today, don’t be afraid to admit it. Bring your weariness to God. If your heart is heavy, bring him your sorrow.
If you feel like you have nothing left to give, remember that God is not asking you to carry everything in your own strength. He gives rest to the weary. He brings joy to the sorrowing. When your strength runs out, his never does.
Pip: Get Encouraged is a site that does exactly what it says — and this week, Chris Miller brings the kind of writing that meets you in the middle of a hard Tuesday.
Mara: The posts cover three distinct territories: trusting God when worry and weariness set in, the kingdom impact of small and faithful acts, and — perhaps unexpectedly — Christmas joy in the middle of July.
Pip: Let's start with what to do when the weight of a hard season starts to feel bigger than anything else.
Trusting God In Worry And Weariness
Mara: The question running through this cluster of posts is a simple one: when life feels too heavy, what do we actually hold onto?
Pip: The anchor text here is Isaiah 40:28, quoted directly: "Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding."
Mara: So the upshot is that the God who made everything has not run out of capacity for your specific problem. That's the claim — and it's a load-bearing one.
Pip: It reframes the whole equation. We measure our burdens against our own strength and lose. The post asks us to measure them against something that doesn't have a ceiling.
Mara: Finding Peace in Worry and Redirecting Negative Thoughts to Positive Reflection push this further. Philippians 4:6 gets cited — "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything" — and Philippians 4:8 follows with the instruction to fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and lovely. Prayer and intentional thinking as active redirects, not passive comfort.
Pip: Finding Patience in Difficult Times adds the honest admission that the hard season might just… keep going. David's words from Psalm 62 — "He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken" — are offered not as a shortcut out but as ground to stand on while you wait.
Mara: And the podcast episode When the Journey Seems Too Long carries that same thread into audio form for anyone who'd rather listen than read.
Pip: Small acts of faithfulness while waiting — that's actually a good bridge into what comes next.
Small Acts With Lasting Kingdom Impact
Mara: The tension here is one a lot of people feel quietly: does what I'm doing actually matter if no one is noticing?
Pip: The Importance of Your Role in God's Kingdom answers that directly. First Corinthians 3:7 is the spine: "So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."
Mara: What that means in practice is that the harvest isn't your job. Your job is the faithful act in front of you — the kind word, the small conversation, the seed planted without knowing what comes next.
Pip: And "small" is doing a lot of work here, because Small Things, Big Impact: The Power of One makes the case that Heaven's accounting looks nothing like ours.
Mara: Luke 15 is the evidence — three parables, one consistent point. A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep for one. A woman turns her house upside down for one coin. A father runs down the road for one returning son. The post quotes the refrain directly: "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents."
Pip: Heaven doesn't wait for a crowd to celebrate. That's a genuinely different standard than the one most of us are quietly measuring ourselves against.
Mara: The ripple image from that post stays with me — one act of faithfulness traveling further than you can see, like a stone dropped in still water. One conversation, one invitation, one small class taught faithfully. The post puts it plainly: when God uses you to reach one life, you've participated in something that echoes into eternity.
Pip: From the long reach of faithful acts to a joy that's also been traveling a long time — just not seasonally.
Unexpected Christmas Joy
Mara: Christmas Joy in July makes a case that sounds odd until it doesn't: the joy that arrived in Bethlehem was never meant to be seasonal.
Pip: Isaac Watts apparently knew this. The post quotes him: "Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room."
Mara: Those words hold on a hot Tuesday in July the same as they do in December. Jesus is still King. His presence, the post argues, is not a winter phenomenon.
Pip: Don't wait until December to rejoice — that's the whole thing, and it lands.
Mara: A God who doesn't grow weary, a kingdom that grows through ordinary faithfulness, a joy that doesn't wait for the right season — these aren't separate ideas.
Pip: They're the same encouragement from three directions. More of that next time.
Sometimes life can change in a moment. The phone call comes. The diagnosis arrives. The relationship falls apart. The job disappears. The answer you’ve been praying for doesn’t come. Suddenly, you’re standing in a place you never expected to be, wondering what to do next. When life gets difficult, how do you respond?
In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Paul gives us four simple instructions:
“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”
Those are simple words, but they aren’t always easy to live out.
Be on guard.
We live in a world filled with distractions and discouragement. There are countless things competing for our attention and pulling us away from God. Being on guard means staying spiritually alert. Don’t let the pressures of life slowly pull you away from the one who gives you strength. Stay in God’s Word. Keep praying. Pay attention to what is shaping your thoughts and influencing your heart.
Stand firm in the faith.
There will be times when circumstances make us question what we believe. There will be moments when God’s plan doesn’t make sense. It is in these moments we’re called to stand firm. Our faith isn’t based on everything going right. It’s based on who God is.
When life feels uncertain, hold tightly to what you know to be true about God. Hold tightly even when you don’t understand what he is doing.
Be courageous. Be strong.
Courage doesn’t mean you never feel afraid. Strength doesn’t mean you never feel weak. It is the opposite in fact. Sometimes courage is simply choosing to move forward even when you’re afraid. Sometimes strength means admitting you can’t do everything on your own and leaning on God. You see, we don’t have to manufacture our own strength. God is the source of our strength.
And do everything with love.
This may be the most important instruction of all.
Paul tells us to be alert, stand firm, be courageous, and be strong. But then he reminds us to do everything with love. It’s possible to stand for what is right and still forget to love others in the process.
Our strength shouldn’t make us harsh. Our courage shouldn’t make us arrogant. Standing firm shouldn’t cause us to become bitter. Jesus was strong, courageous, and stood firm. He was also loving and compassionate in every interaction. The Christian life isn’t just about what we stand for. It’s also about how we stand.
There will be days when you need to stand firm.
There will be days when you need courage.
There will be days when you feel weak and need strength.
When those days come, remember Paul’s words: Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.
You may not know what tomorrow will bring, but you can decide how you will face it.
Stay alert. Hold on to your faith. Be courageous. And let love guide you.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is for your mind to dwell on the negative? One difficult conversation, one unexpected expense, or one uncertain situation can consume our thoughts. Before long, we’re replaying our worries over and over, wondering how everything will work out. What do we do when our thoughts seem to spiral out of control?
Paul gives us an answer in Philippians 4:8:
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Our minds naturally drift toward our problems. We replay difficult conversations, imagine worst-case scenarios, and dwell on everything that could go wrong. Before long, worry has taken center stage. Paul invites us to redirect our thinking. Instead of allowing anxiety to occupy every corner of our minds, we can intentionally fill our thoughts with God’s truth.
We can remember his faithfulness in the past, his promises for the future, and his presence with us today.
We can think about his goodness, celebrate his blessings, and praise him even while we wait for answers.
This doesn’t mean pretending our problems don’t exist. It means refusing to let them become the only thing we think about. Our circumstances may not change overnight, but our perspective can.
Today, take inventory of your thoughts. Are they filled with fear, or are they anchored in God’s truth? Choose to dwell on what is true, honorable, lovely, and praiseworthy. As you do, you’ll discover that a mind focused on Christ finds a peace that worry can never provide.
The stresses of life are real. Bills to pay, the grind of daily life, and responsibilities pulling us in every direction can be enough to overwhelm us. The busyness of life can flood our minds with worry and leave us feeling anxious about what might happen next. When life feels overwhelming, where do we turn? The Bible offers us a suggestion.
Philippians 4:6 suggests, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
Prayer is where we can turn. It is not a promise that our problems will immediately disappear, but a promise that we don’t have to face them alone. No matter what challenge life has given us, the Lord is right beside us.
When worry begins to creep in, we can pray.
When anxiety starts to overwhelm us, we can pray.
When we don’t know what to do next, we can pray.
We can bring our needs, fears, and questions to God, trusting that he hears us.
Notice that Paul doesn’t simply tell us to stop worrying. He tells us what to do instead. Take those worries to God. Turn those anxious thoughts into prayers. Tell God what you need. And don’t forget to thank him for what he has already done.
Prayer changes our focus. Instead of staring at the size of our problems, we begin to look toward the greatness of our God.
As we do, we can begin to have peace. Philippians 4:7 says we’ll have a peace that goes beyond our understanding. The challenges may still be there, but we’ll have a peace that the Lord is walking with us. We’ll have a peace of knowing he is bigger than our challenges.
So, when life feels overwhelming and worry begins to take over, remember Paul’s simple advice. Don’t worry about everything. Pray about everything.
When you don’t know where to turn, turn to the Lord. Bring him your worries. Tell him what you need. Thank him for what he has already done. And trust him to give you the peace you cannot find on your own.
“Are we there yet?” Anyone who has traveled with children has heard this question. The excitement of reaching the destination quickly fades when the miles seem to drag on and the trip feels like it will never end. Kids aren’t the only ones who struggle with waiting. None of us enjoys standing in a long checkout line or sitting in a doctor’s waiting room. We don’t like waiting for an important phone call or wondering when an answer to prayer will come. Patience is hard.
It can be especially difficult when we are going through a season of trouble. We just want it to end! But sometimes, no matter how hard we work or how fervently we pray, the difficulty persists. The doctor’s phone call with the test results doesn’t come soon enough. We can’t escape the loneliness that weighs so heavily on our hearts. The rough patch in life seems to stretch on and on, and we begin to wonder, “Are we there yet?”
David could relate. He experienced several difficult seasons that lasted far longer than he wanted. He knew what it was like to cry out to God and wait for deliverance. Yet, as David waited and prayed, he came to this conclusion:
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me” (Psalm 62:5-7).
The rough times in life may come. They may last longer than we ever imagined. They may even leave us wondering if the journey will ever end, but they cannot swallow us.
The Lord is our rock when everything around us feels unstable.
He is our refuge when life becomes overwhelming.
He is our fortress when we feel under attack.
Our victory ultimately comes from him.
We may not know when the difficult season will end. We may still find ourselves asking, “Are we there yet?”
But we can wait quietly before God, knowing our hope is in him. The destination may still seem far away, but we are never alone on the journey.
When life gets hard, it’s easy to forget who God is. We see the size of the problem and forget the size of our God. We feel the weight of the burden and forget that God never grows weak or weary. In moments like these, Isaiah 40:28 offers a powerful reminder.
“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.”
It’s almost as if Isaiah is saying…
Don’t forget…
The Lord is everlasting.
Psalm 90 proclaims, “Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.” There has never been a time without God, and there never will be. He was there before the beginning, and he will be there when everything else has passed away.
The Lord is the creator.
Genesis 1:1 reminds us that God created the heavens and the earth. Before anything existed, God was there. With his word, he spoke creation into existence. The God who created everything is the God who is with you today.
The Lord never grows weak or weary.
Jeremiah reminds us of the Lord’s strength. In Jeremiah 32:17, he declares, “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Nothing is too hard for God. There are things that are too hard for us. Burdens leave us exhausted and pressures cause us to buckle, but God never grows weary. The weight that overwhelms us does not overwhelm him. Jesus reminds us that what is impossible with man is possible with God.
God’s wisdom is immeasurable.
Romans 11:33 declares, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” There are times when we don’t understand what God is doing. We may not see why he allows certain things or understand where he is leading us. Our inability to understand does not mean God is confused. His wisdom has no limits, and God knows what we cannot see.
So, don’t forget who God is.
Today, it may seem as if your struggles hold all the power. They don’t. God holds more. And the God who is everlasting, all-powerful, and infinitely wise is the God who is with you right now.
Have you ever wondered if what you’re doing really matters? Maybe you’re teaching a Bible study with only a handful of people. Maybe only one person comments on your devotional. Perhaps you had one meaningful conversation with a friend who needed encouragement. It’s easy to measure significance by numbers, but Jesus measured it differently.
Luke 15 reminds us that Heaven places an incredible value on just one person. Jesus tells three familiar parables, but each carries the same message.
A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for one that has wandered away. When he finds it, he rejoices.
A woman loses one valuable coin. She searches every corner of her house until she finds it, and then she celebrates.
A father watches and waits for his wayward son. When that son finally returns home, the father runs to him with open arms and throws a celebration.
The details of each story are different, but the lesson is the same. What was lost mattered enough to search for, and what was found was worth celebrating.
If the sheep hadn’t mattered, the shepherd wouldn’t have searched.
If the coin hadn’t been valuable, the woman wouldn’t have swept the house.
If the son hadn’t been precious, the father wouldn’t have run to meet him.
God places a premium on one. Luke 15 repeats this truth three times.
“There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents…” (Luke 15:7).
“There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
“We had to celebrate… He was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).
Notice that Heaven doesn’t celebrate crowds alone. Heaven celebrates one life changed by God’s grace. That means reaching one person is never a small thing. That means our influence is significant.
Our influence is much like throwing a rock into a quiet lake. The rock creates a ripple. That ripple creates another. Then another. Before long, the waves have traveled far beyond where the rock first entered the water. We rarely know how far our encouragement, kindness, or witness will travel.
One conversation may strengthen a discouraged believer.
One invitation may lead someone to Christ.
One act of faithfulness may influence generations you’ll never meet.
God often uses small beginnings to accomplish great things. Jesus could have gathered thousands on day one. Instead, He invested deeply in twelve ordinary men. Those twelve carried the gospel to others, who carried it to still more people. Generation after generation, the message spread until it reached us today. Never underestimate what God can do through a faithful life.
You may never speak to a stadium full of people, but you can faithfully love, encourage, and point one person toward Christ. And to God, that one matters immensely. So don’t become discouraged by small numbers.
Make the phone call.
Teach the small class.
Write the devotional.
Encourage the friend.
The world may celebrate crowds, but Heaven celebrates one. And when God uses you to reach one life, you have participated in something that echoes into eternity.
Have you ever wondered if you’re doing enough for God? Perhaps you’ve watched someone else lead a large ministry, influence countless people, or share incredible stories of lives being changed. Meanwhile, your opportunities seem much smaller. It’s easy to wonder if you’re making a difference at all. It is easy to become discouraged in these moments, so the Bible offers an encouraging reminder.
“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7).
God never intended for one person to do all the work. His kingdom grows as his people faithfully execute the part entrusted to them. You may plant a seed by showing kindness to a neighbor. Someone else may water that seed through another conversation. A third person may encourage them to take the next step in their faith. Then, at just the right time, God brings the harvest. Every role matters because every role is part of His plan.
We often celebrate the harvest, but God values the planting and watering just as much. Without those faithful acts of obedience, there would be no harvest to celebrate.
If you’re feeling discouraged today because someone else’s accomplishments seem greater than yours, remember, God has never asked you to do everything. He has simply called you to be faithful where he has placed you.
Don’t measure your faithfulness by comparing yourself to someone else. Instead, ask yourself this simple question. “Am I faithfully doing the part God has given me?” If the answer is yes, then you can trust God with the results.
Get Encouraged 