by Ms. Sasha
If you’re facing burnout, you are not alone. Research discussed in an article on Forbes even refers to burnout as an ‘International Crisis’. However, as a believer in Jesus, it is your privelage to not only ask God to relieve your burnout but to make you more powerful and productive in life. Prayer is crucial part of this.
In this post, we will discuss how:
- Prayer Re-charges Us With Power
- Prayer Is A Reset Button
- Prayer Is A GPS For Us
Picture This
Crystal woke up 10 minutes before her alarm went off this morning, excited about the day. She was not groggy like most days, and her energy was abundant. Barely opening his eyes, Crystal’s husband rolled over, cleared his throat, and asked, “What time is it?” He clearly did not share Crystal’s exuberance. Kissing him on the forehead, she apologized for waking him up and sprouted out of bed.
The day was made for her, or so she believed. The next hour was so productive.
Crystal made breakfast and drove her son to school. After arriving back home, she folded a pile of laundry from the previous day and waited for the water to fill up before adding another load. As she started back down the stairs, she noticed her energy dwindling.
Shifting her eyes around the large open area, she could see more clearly what must be done. She looked at her computer first and wondered how much juice it had, as it lay there, unplugged. The bills were still posted on the refrigerator, a to-do list was on the breakfast table, and the floor needed to be mopped. Overwhelmed by the clear tasks at hand, Crystal’s morning energy was noticeably dwindling.
Her first cup of coffee would not sustain her for the long haul.
Sound familiar?
Prayer Recharges Us With Power
Some days are easier than others. Some tasks require lots of brain energy and others, we barely have to think about. Prayer is the base for recharging our energy tanks, giving us the power we need to complete tasks at all levels.
Take Jesus’ journey in the wilderness, for example. At the beginning of Matthew 4, we see that Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. This was a time of concentrated prayer for him.
The power he received from God after he prayed was the very thing he used to stay focused when the enemy tried to tempt him.
We see another example of Jesus gaining power through prayer in Matthew 26: 36-46. This scripture shows us a time when Jesus felt overwhelmed by what he knew he had to do. After he prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, he gained an incredible amount of strength. Thank God he knew where to get the strength to complete his mission.
God doesn’t judge us by how strong we think we should be, so we should stop judging ourselves that way.
When we’re afraid that we can’t do something, or that we can’t do it all, we’re acknowledging that we need to be empowered also. The good news is that, just as God was available to give strength to his son Jesus, he is available to us too. God doesn’t judge us by how strong we think we should be, so we should stop judging ourselves that way.
You may be thinking that Jesus had more time to pray than you. However, he was always communicating with the Father. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have a huge block of prayer time. God can give you the courage, the ability, and the energy that you need whenever you ask him for it.
We can agree that we all need food more than once a day, right? Although we may not have time to sit down for a full meal, small snacks also give us energy. God loves when we come to Him for a boost in our day, and He is here for it. He is the “bread of life.” When we receive strength from God, we gain more productive-power over our day.
Prayer Is A Reset Button
Think about the excitement you felt when you first started your job. You were either excited that it paid much more than the last position you had, or that you had finally gotten into the career you’ve always dreamed about. Maybe you desired to be married one day or wanted to have children to raise and nurture, then one day, it happened for you.
Regardless of the situation, after living your dream for a while, you realized that the upkeep of the dream required work. As much as we want to complete the things that we start, we have to realize that to complete the job well, we need to reset and refresh.
Prayer helps us reset. Studies show that not taking breaks causes burnout, which leads to low productivity. I dare you to advocate for yourself and your productivity by taking breaks to reset.
In prayer, we can unveil our concerns to God and count on him to listen. He not only listens though. He helps us to level our emotions by helping us think things through. Prayer gives us the perfect moment to start over, with a fresh, renewed mind.
Prayer Is A GPS For Us
In the Bible, the word productive is synonymous with the word fruitful. From the beginning, God, himself demonstrated productivity by creating the water and land, the various lights of the sky, and also human beings! He also instructs us to be fruitful, so we can be sure that productivity is a God thing.
When we are on our journey working, we need directions. It’s true. Have you ever put together a piece of furniture, such as a table without directions and it wasn’t as easy as it looked? Directions make it easier to get to the next steps. The work we do in our lives is often like putting together a table. Sometimes, however, we are experts in one area of our mission, but novices in others. God is here to fill in the gaps.
It is so awesome to know that we no longer have to overanalyze and over-strategize.
God is here to give us the next steps when we get stuck. Sometimes, those steps may be to stop what we’re doing and work on something else.
For example, we may have the desire to help our children understand why it’s important for them to clean their rooms. After all, it is our job to teach them things that will help them have good lives once they are independent of us. However, when we get to the point where we are repeating the same instructions day after day, it is clear that we are not producing anything. In those times, God often wants to handle the situation another way.
Oftentimes, he has already orchestrated another mentor to pick up where we left off and get the message through. Other times, he may help us to aspire to new ideas and give us new strategies.
We can be assured that God will help us, regardless of what directions he gives, step by step. Reading your Bible every day is an excellent thing to do. In prayer is often where God reminds us of the things we read, and tells us how it applies to the situation we need help with. Whenever we feel like we are lost, God can help us find our way when we pray. (Prov 3:5)
Take Action
STEP 1
Think about a task or a role that you are struggling to fulfill today.
STEP 2
Once you have it in your mind, prayer this simple prayer with me.
“God, thank you for this moment. I know that you are here and that you care about my day and what I have to do. I need you to reveal the steps you want me to take to achieve (state your goal HERE). When I come to you, I am refreshed. I know you have the answers for me. I know that you have peace for me. I’m excited about hearing from you, and I thank you that I’m not alone. Today, I take on the task of (repeat your goal HERE), and I know I will accomplish what I need to. I allow joy, strength, and ideas from heaven into my life, and I thank you for these good gifts. You are good. Thank you for honoring my faith when I come to you and for putting a master plan together for me.”