「我覺得我無法再支撐下去了！」朋友流著眼淚說。她是一位護士，有一次她跟我談到新冠病毒造成全球健康危機，身為護理人員的她面臨空前的絕望，忍不住淚流滿面。她坦言﹕「我知道上帝呼召我做一個護士去照顧病人。但我實在應付不來，而且心力交瘁。」我看著疲憊不堪的她，回應說﹕「我知道妳現在感到很無助，但求上帝指引妳的方向，並且賜給妳繼續堅持下去的力量。」那一刻，她決定透過禱告懇切地尋求上帝。不久之後，她有了新的使命感，重新振作，有勇氣繼續從事護理工作，而且上帝還賜給她力量，讓她到全國各地的醫院去服務更多人。

作為基督徒，當我們感到壓力重重、筋疲力竭時，可以隨時向上帝尋求幫助和鼓勵，因為祂「並不疲乏，也不困倦」（以賽亞書40章28節）。先知以賽亞指出，我們的天父會加能力給疲乏的人，又會賜力量給軟弱的人（29節）。雖然上帝的能力無窮無盡，但祂知道你我不免會有身心俱疲的時候（30節）。當我們懇求上帝加添力量，而不試圖獨自應付生命中的挑戰時，祂會使我們重新得力，並使你我能立定心志，憑信心繼續前進。

“I just don’t think I can do this anymore,” my friend said through her tears as she discussed the overwhelming sense of hopelessness she faced as a nurse in a global health crisis. “I know that God has called me to nursing, but I’m overwhelmed and emotionally drained,” she confessed. Seeing that a cloud of exhaustion had come over her, I responded, “I know you feel helpless right now, but ask God to give you the direction you’re seeking and the strength to persevere.” At that moment, she decided to intentionally seek God through prayer. Soon after, my friend was invigorated with a new sense of purpose. Not only was she emboldened to continue nursing, but God also gave her the strength to serve even more people by traveling to hospitals around the country.

As believers in Jesus, we can always look to God for help and encouragement when we feel overburdened because “He will not grow tired or weary” (Isaiah 40:28). The prophet Isaiah states that our Father in heaven “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (v. 29). Though God’s strength is everlasting, He knows that we’ll inevitably have days when we’re physically and emotionally consumed (v. 30). But when we look to God for our strength instead of trying to sprint through life’s challenges alone, He’ll restore and renew us and give us the resolve to press on in faith.