📖 Jeremiah 20:9 (KJV)
“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
Have you ever been so discouraged, so emotionally drained, that you said, “I’m done”—even with the things God called you to do?
You’re in good company. The prophet Jeremiah loved God and served Him faithfully, yet found himself at a breaking point.
Jeremiah: Faithful Yet Frustrated
Jeremiah’s assignment was hard: speak God’s truth to a rebellious people who didn’t want to listen. For years, he poured out his heart, warned the people, and endured rejection, mockery, and even imprisonment.
📖 Jeremiah 20:7-8 (KJV)
“O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me… because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.”
He was weary. He felt isolated. He even cursed the day he was born (Jeremiah 20:14-18). Yet despite this emotional burnout, he couldn’t stay silent.
Why? Because God’s truth burned within him.
What Jeremiah’s Story Teaches Us
1. Burnout Doesn’t Mean You’re Faithless
Feeling overwhelmed or discouraged doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It may mean you’ve been faithful for a long time without rest.
📖 Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
2. God Welcomes Our Honesty
Jeremiah poured his heart out to God. He didn’t sugarcoat his emotions. And God didn’t reject him for that.
📖 Psalm 62:8 (KJV)
“Trust in him at all times… pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.”
God is big enough to handle your grief, frustration, and exhaustion.
3. God’s Word Sustains Us
Jeremiah didn’t continue out of sheer willpower—God’s Word kept him going.
📖 Job 23:12 (KJV)
“I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”
📖 Psalm 119:50 (KJV)
“This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.”
When burnout hits, let God’s Word restore your soul.
Hope in the Midst of Weariness
Despite his pain, Jeremiah later wrote these profound words in Lamentations—a book of sorrow that still clings to hope:
📖 Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
When you’re empty, God offers mercy. When you’re exhausted, He offers rest.
📖 Matthew 11:28-29 (KJV)
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Final Encouragement
- It’s okay to feel tired—even prophets did.
- You don’t have to carry the weight alone.
- God hasn’t left you—He is with you in the weariness.
- His mercy will meet you again tomorrow.
So if you feel burned out like Jeremiah, don’t give up. Rest in God’s presence. Pour out your heart. And let His Word burn in you again.
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