Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

There are seasons in the Christian life when spiritual disciplines feel life-giving, and seasons when they feel heavy. Prayer feels dry. Scripture feels distant. Worship feels more like effort than overflow. And somewhere in the quiet frustration, a question begins to form: Am I being faithful, or am I just going through the motions?

Spiritual exhaustion is not a sign of spiritual failure. Scripture assumes our limits. We are finite, fragile, and deeply in need of rest. The danger is not that discipline begins to feel like a habit, but that we mistake habit for holiness and push ourselves beyond what Christ ever asked of us.

Consistency in the Christian life is not sustained by willpower alone. It is sustained by learning to rest in Christ and allowing Him to renew what has been depleted.

1. When Discipline Feels Dry, You’re Not Alone

The Bible does not romanticize spiritual life as endlessly vibrant. Even faithful servants of God experienced weariness.

Elijah, after a great victory, collapses in exhaustion and despair (1 Kings 19). David cries out,

“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:28).

Spiritual fatigue often comes not from disobedience, but from long obedience. It comes from carrying burdens faithfully, from pouring out, from walking through extended seasons of uncertainty or suffering.

When disciplines feel dry, the answer is not to abandon them or to shame ourselves into doing more but to examine how and why we are practicing them. God never intended spiritual habits to replace dependence on Him.

2. Jesus Invites the Weary, Not the Self-Sufficient

Jesus speaks directly to the spiritually exhausted in Matthew 11:28–30:

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say, “Try harder.” He does not say, “Be more disciplined.” He says, Come.

Rest in Christ is not inactivity; it is re-centered dependence. A yoke implies work, but it is shared. When discipline becomes detached from relationship, it becomes crushing. When it flows from a relationship, it becomes sustaining.

Consistency does not mean forcing ourselves to perform spiritually when we are empty. It means continually returning to the One who restores our souls (Psalm 23:3).

3. Rest Is Not the Enemy of Faithfulness

In a culture that prizes productivity, even in spirituality, rest can feel like weakness. But Scripture presents rest as obedience.

God commands Sabbath rest not because He is inefficient, but because we are limited (Exodus 20:8–11). Jesus Himself withdrew regularly to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16). If the Son of God embraced rest, we cannot treat it as optional.

Hebrews 4 speaks of a deeper rest, rest found in trusting God’s completed work. Spiritual exhaustion often reveals that we have been relying more on effort than on grace.

Resting in Christ means:

• Letting go of the pressure to feel spiritually “on”
• Allowing God to meet us even when our emotions are flat
• Trusting that God is at work even when we feel depleted

4. When Habit Is All You Have, Let Habit Carry You Back to Grace

There are times when discipline will feel more like a habit than a passion. This is not failure, it is faithfulness.

Psalm 42 captures this tension beautifully:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God.”

The psalmist does not wait until he feels hopeful; he chooses hope. Habits, in these seasons, function like guardrails. They do not replace renewal, but they keep us oriented toward God while we wait for it.

The key is remembering that habits are not the source of life; Christ is. Discipline becomes dangerous only when we believe it earns God’s favor or replaces His presence.

5. Renewal Comes from Abiding, Not Forcing

Jesus’ words in John 15 remain central here:

“Apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Spiritual renewal does not come from intensifying our effort, but from deepening our connection. Sometimes consistency means doing less, not more, simplifying prayer, reading smaller portions of Scripture, sitting quietly before God without words.

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us,

“They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”

Waiting is active trust. It is choosing presence over productivity. Renewal happens when we stop demanding immediate results and allow God to restore us in His time.

6. Grace-Filled Consistency

The goal of consistency is not perfection; it is persistence rooted in grace.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Spiritual fatigue often exposes our weakness, and that is precisely where grace meets us. A Christ-centered life is not sustained by emotional highs, but by steady reliance on God’s faithfulness.

Consistency, then, looks like:

• Returning to Christ again and again, even when tired
• Allowing seasons of rest without guilt
• Trusting God’s work in us, even when progress feels slow

Conclusion: Come Back to the Source

When you feel spiritually drained, the invitation is not to quit, but to rest. Not to strive, but to abide. Christ does not ask us to run on empty; He asks us to come and be filled.

Discipline without rest leads to burnout. Rest without Christ leads nowhere. But discipline rooted in rest, resting in Christ, leads to renewal.

If you are tired, you are not disqualified. You are invited.

Come to Him and let Him restore your soul.