3 Reasons to Pray (Especially When You’re Exhausted)
May 24th, 2022 • by Asheritah Ciuciu
I can’t even think straight, much less pray.
That thought has crossed my mind more times than I’d care to admit. Late at night, when my head hits the pillow but my shoulders still carry the tension of a conversation gone wrong. Mid-afternoon when my to-do list looms large and my “done” list looks puny. Even just this morning, when my coffee was brewing and the mound of dirty dishes seemed to mock me from the sink.
It never feels like an opportune moment to pray.
But it’s in those times when we feel too exhausted to pray that we need Jesus most.
A Call to Rest
I know this. Intellectually, I know this. But in my body, in my tiredness, in my overwhelm, it’s easy to forget Jesus’ tender words from two thousand years ago:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).
What a beautiful invitation! What a compassionate call crossing the centuries to intersect our busy, 21st century lives. Jesus doesn’t berate us into praying more. Rather, he invites us to experience the thing our souls truly crave more than sleep, more than another cup of coffee, more than a shopping spree. Our souls were made to find rest in Jesus, and he alone offers true rest in his presence.
It’s in light of this beautiful invitation that we remind ourselves of these three reasons to pray, even when we feel too tired.
“Our souls were made to find rest in Jesus, and he alone offers true rest in his presence.”
1. Prayer Connects Us with the Heart of God
Rest for our souls doesn’t come from just thinking about praying or feeling guilty about not praying; it comes from actually making our way into God’s loving presence. Through prayer we experience his heart for us.
Scripture tells us that we get to approach God’s throne of grace “with confidence” because Jesus himself is our High Priest who welcomes us with open arms as he intercedes for us (Heb. 4:16). In fact, the Bible says Jesus is praying for us this very moment because “He always lives to make intercession” for us (Heb. 7:25 and Rom. 8:34).
When we pause our flurry of activities to pray, we’re joining Jesus in his ministry of prayer for us. So we can stop hustling, we can cease striving, and we can simply rest in Jesus’ work on our behalf.
2. Prayer Reminds Us of the Promises of God
We all suffer from soul amnesia, or forgetting who God is and what he has done. If we don’t remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness, we’ll struggle alone as we carry the artificial weight of the world on our shoulders.
But when we remember God’s faithfulness to his promises, he revives our souls with hope:
God promises to listen to our prayers (1 Pet. 3:12)
God promises to always love us (Rom. 8:38-39)
God promises to fulfill his plans for us (Rom. 8:28-29)
God promises to always be found by us (Acts 17:26-27)
God promises to finish the work he started in us (Phil. 1:6)
These are but a few of the promises we find when we read and pray God’s Word.
I’ve found such strength in praying Scripture, but even if a Bible isn’t handy or a specific verse doesn’t come to mind, we don’t need to fumble for the perfect words. God isn’t waiting to be impressed by our theologically-rich prayers. He invites us to come to him just as we are, and to remember his goodness to us. We can express to him the needs that are heavy on our hearts, and then we can be still with him, resting in the reality that he is God and we are not (Ps. 46:11).
“We can stop hustling, we can cease striving, and we can simply rest in Jesus’ work on our behalf.”
3. Prayer Empowers Us with the Strength of God
The Bible is full of stories that feature ordinary people being used by an extraordinary God in a way that shines the spotlight on his goodness and his glory. In fact, Scripture tells us that in our weaknesses, God is strong because his power is put on display through us (2 Cor. 12:9–11 4:7). His grace is enough, and his surpassingly great power is enough, but we need to actually come to him and rest in his presence.
We get to rest in the God who told his people “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Ex. 14:14). We get to rest in the One who produces supernatural fruit in us when we abide in him (John 15:5). We get to rest even as we tackle our day’s work “ with all his energy that he powerfully works within [us]” (Col. 1:29).
Our prayers don’t have to be elaborate or long in order to “count.” In his graciousness, God takes the little we have to offer and multiplies it to do much.
Examples of Everyday Prayer
I think of faithful women throughout history who made prayer their first response despite the hardships of their life. Some whose names we know (like Susie Spurgeon and Elisabeth Elliot), and millions of others whose names are lost to obscurity, but who are dearly known and loved by their God.
And I think of the women in our own families and church communities who model for us coming to Jesus despite the clamor and chaos of our homes. Much like Susannah Wesley, my own mother would grab whatever kitchen towel was closest at hand and drape it over her head when she’d feel the urge to pause and pray. It was her signal to the three of us children that she was not to be interrupted. My great-grandmother Maicuta ended her work days on the farm by sitting on the front porch and singing softly to Jesus. And my great-grandmother Floare would pause at her front gate to pray whenever she ran an errand or safely arrived back home.
These examples of everyday prayer remind me that God welcomes us to come to him anytime, anywhere, with anything that’s heavy on our hearts, even when—especially when—we’re tired and overwhelmed.
Come and Rest
“Come to me,” Jesus said, looking at the crowds that were made up of women and men from all seasons of life, “all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).
Ahh… what a gift!
Suddenly, I can’t resist Jesus’ loving invitation. I unstrap the mental backpack filled with worries and lay it all at Jesus’ feet. I step into his loving embrace and finally exhale the pent-up breath I’d been holding for too long.
“Come to me,” Jesus whispers to our weary souls.
“Here I come,” we whisper back, as we make our way into our loving Savior’s arms.
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him” (Ps. 62:5 NIV).
Asheritah Ciuciu is a bestselling author, national speaker, and host of the Prayers of REST podcast. A Romanian missionary kid, she's passionate about helping people around the world enjoy Jesus through creative spiritual habits. Asheritah is married to her high school sweetheart and together they raise their three spunky kids in NE Ohio. Start your own habit of restful prayer with Asheritah’s newest devotional, Prayers of REST: Daily Prompts to Slow Down and Hear God’s Voice.
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