Feb 9, 2026 – Exhaustion
Utmost – In his title today, Chambers asks, “Are You Exhausted Spiritually?” I am a little, over many things, over nothing really. God knows and He will minister to me. He already has by asking me that question and meeting me here. Chambers cites Isaiah 40:28 – “The everlasting God . . . fainteth not, neither is weary” and writes, “Exhaustion means that the vital forces are worn right out…. The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God…. Be careful that you get your supply, or before long you will be utterly exhausted…. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and His sheep as well as for Himself…. Continually go back to the foundation of your affections and recollect where the source of power is…. Be exhausted for God, but remember that your supply comes from Him.”
Today’s verse from my flip calendar, Giving It All Away, by David Green: 1 John 4:7 NKJV – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Simpson – “None of these things move me” (Acts xx. 24). Simpson shares understanding and encouraging thoughts about exhaustion (and I’m so glad to have met him through Cowman’s Streams in the Desert): “The best evidence of God’s presence is the devil’s growl. So wrote Mr. Spurgeon once in ‘The Sword and the Trowel,’ and that little sentence has helped many a tried and tired child of God to stand fast and even rejoice under the fiercest attacks of the foe. We read in the book of Samuel that the moment that David was crowned at Hebron, ‘All the Philistines came up to seek David.’ And the moment we get anything from the Lord worth contending for, then the devil comes to seek us. When the enemy meets us at the threshold of any great work for God let us accept it as ‘a token of salvation,’ and claim double blessing, victory and power. Power is developed by resistance…. And so we shall find some day that even Satan has been one of God’s agencies of blessing.”
JC – “Seek My Face more and more…. It is not an easy road, but it is a delightful and privileged way: a treasure hunt. I am the Treasure…. Hardships are part of the journey too. I mete them out ever so carefully…. Do not recoil from afflictions, since they are among My most favored gifts. Trust Me and don’t’ be afraid, for I am your Strength and Song.” See Psalm 27:8, 2 Corinthians 4:7, and Isaiah 12:2.
Prevail #40 – In the presence of the commander of the Lord’s army in Joshua 5:14-15, “Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence….” Larson explains that God “exhorted Joshua to not fear or get discouraged. Then He sent an angel to remind Joshua of God’s mercy and honor. Before Joshua could rise up in victory, he first had to bow low in humility. Can you see the progression of events here? The Lord guards and guides our steps in much the same way…. God never humiliates those who fear Him, but He does humble us…. Precious Lord…. Open my eyes to what I cannot see…. It is in Your matchless name I pray. Amen.”
Max – John 14:23 – “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” Max tells of receiving the “deathbed confession of faith” of a man with a questionable reputation. In his humanity, Max said, “I left the hospital room with a Scroogy scowl. That’s too easy…. but God didn’t tell me to screen the applicants, just to teach them….It’s never too late to come to Christ for help.”
Streams – Matthew 15:23 – “Jesus did not answer a word.” Zephaniah 3:17 – “He will quiet you with his love.” Cowman draws from “selected” sources as she explains, “God’s tender heart must often ache listening to our sad, complaining cries. Our weak, impatient hearts cry out because we fail to see through our tear-blinded, shortsighted eyes that it is for our own sakes that He does not answer at all or that He answers in a way we believe is less than the best. In fact, the silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His words and may be a sign not of His disapproval but of His approval and His way of providing a deeper blessing for you.”
Cowman shares the verse we drew from the other day, Psalm 43:5 – “Why are you downcast, O my soul” and tells “a beautiful old story of how one Christian dreamed she saw three other women in prayer.” It is indeed a beautiful story (about how God knows our level of faith and our level of need and He meets us there). It reminded me of when I was a child playing tennis with my mother and my beloved cousin who I visited back and forth with almost every summer for many years. All throughout our playing, Mama kept complimenting and encouraging her, but not saying a word to me, or not that I noticed because I was so focused on what she was doing for and saying to my cousin. So I stopped playing, sat down, and pouted.
I can’t remember if my display ended what was supposed to be a fun outing, but I do remember my mother telling me (either in a private moment away from my cousin there or later at home) that she was giving more attention to my cousin because she was new to tennis and wasn’t doing as well as I was. Gulp. I missed an opportunity to be part of helping someone along in what they were learning. That lesson has served me well (when I remember it) so that I don’t get too focused on God’s blessings and support of others at times when I think I need more of His attention (rather than realizing how much He has poured into me to help me mature.)
JA – “REJOICE THAT I UNDERSTAND YOU completely and love you with perfect, unending Love.” Thank You. “Many people are afraid that anyone who comes to know them fully will look down on them or even reject them…. keep others at a safe distance…. tends to feel safer, but leads to loneliness. Be thankful that there is One who sees straight through your defenses and pretenses…. So rest in the wonder of being fully known – yet delighted in! …Self-acceptance is the path to self-forgetfulness, which is the real road to Joy!” See Psalm 107: 1, 43, 1 Corinthians 13:12, Psalm 149:4-5, and Ephesians 1: 5-6.
Power – Isaiah 65:16 – “So [it shall be] that he who invokes a blessing on himself in the land shall do so by saying, May the God of truth and fidelity [the Amen] bless me.” Joyce reminds and comforts us by explaining, “There is a life principle in the above Scripture you can carry into every area you desire victory: nobody’s words have as much authority in your life as your own…. Words are containers for power…. And with power comes responsibility…. Take notice of the things you say through your day because what you say does matter to you and your well-being.” Our words can exhaust our spirits. It is important to not ignore troubled feelings and situations, but we must be mindful of not getting stalled there; and, instead, keep working through the issues to find and receive God’s peace and joy.
