sick and tired? 10 bible verses to encourage you

I don’t know about you, but I am a total baby when I’m sick and tired. Usually it’s the guy in the relationship, right? (Insert joke about the “man flu” here.)

Nope, my hubby can be feeling awful and still get through the work day. I, on the other hand, am a whimpering, can’t-get-out-of-bed, can-you-check-my-forehead-to-see-if-I-have-a-fever, mess. 

It’s hard to get motivated to do anything. And that’s just a cold or the flu or something that passes. I can only imagine the serious struggle, the constant frustration of having to deal with a chronic illness on a regular basis.

Does the Bible speak to sickness?

For one thing, the Bible says Jesus isn’t “a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses,” (Hebrews 4:15, NIV). And I’m assuming this means every kind of weakness – spiritual and emotional, yes, but also physical, too. The Bible doesn’t talk about all his struggles, and doesn’t ever reference a time when Jesus got sick. But it’s likely he did at some point in his life.

Meaning the Son of God, equal to God, felt and experienced sickness firsthand. He not only saw us in our physical struggles but can feel empathy towards them as well. 

And the Bible does speak to us in our weakness. It talks about how much God cares for us and indicates how we should view taking care of ourselves. And it also gives us incredible encouragement for when we go through seasons of illness.

Here are 10 Bible verses for when you’re sick and tired (all from the New International Version).

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:28-31

God doesn’t get sick and tired – and he even allows us to experience his renewal and strength when we need it.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ” – Romans 8:26

Thankfully, we don’t always have to know what to say or how to ask for help or relief. The Spirit helps us when we’re weak – including physically.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Isn’t it amazing how our struggles can allow us to connect with others like never before? Our vulnerability allows us to go deeper, feel more compassion, and encourage people going through the same thing. It doesn’t make our struggles less real or brushed aside. But it might help to find meaning in them, even when they don’t make sense.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Again, we’re not out to brush aside the struggle. It’s real, it’s raw, it’s valid. But wow, can God work through our weakness. He works amazing things when we have little to give. Don’t feel like you lack value because you don’t feel strong physically. 

“So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’s hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” – Exodus 17:10-12

I love the concept of Aaron and Hur holding Moses’s hands up as he gets tired – don’t we all need people like that in our lives? God knows we do – and he provides them for us.

“Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects them and preserves them – they are counted among the blessed in the land – he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.” – Psalm 41:1-3

This reminds me of the scriptures above, about Moses’s helpers and about how God comforts us so we can comfort others. It’s a cycle. There will always be people who are sick, tired, in need of comfort or encouragement. When we have compassion on others who are sick or weak, God takes care of us with our needs as well. He even restores us specifically when we are sick.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 31:8

Sickness can be one of the most discouraging times. You can’t function as usual, you might get behind and have trouble catching up, you might just feel lonely and down. I don’t know why we go through sickness. But God goes before us and is with us, through every struggle. 

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” – Isaiah 49:15-16

It’s almost impossible to think of a mother forgetting her baby. God’s saying that even in the slim possibility, he never forgets us. Our lives are in his hands. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

Whew, this can be hard to believe when you’re going through sickness (and again, even more so something chronic). Jesus helps shoulder our burdens. They are not so heavy with him. 

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” – Psalm 33:20-22

We can rejoice in our hardest times, our waiting times, as we rely on God. A lot of things happen in this decaying world that are unexplainable and incomprehensible. Sickness and its timing fall under that description. But even when nothing makes sense, we can find joy in Him. 

Lastly, there are SO many examples of God’s glory through times when people are sick or tired.

Even though we can wonder what God could have planned for us in our illness, there are many ways that he can shine through us. Not even death can stop him from working. Here are some examples, in case you’re curious:

2 Kings 5 – Naaman cured of leprosy

John 4 – Jesus and the Samaritan woman (in verse 6, Jesus sits by the well, tired from his journey)

Mark 5:21-43 – the dead girl and the sick woman

John 11 – Lazarus raised from the dead

Mark 1:29-34 – Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law and the villagers

Please note that I can’t promise miracles. (Although those can happen too!) But the message can be spread and peoples’ lives changed even in the darkest times.

What scriptures do you rely on when you feel sick or tired?

 

Photo Credit:

1 – my own

2 – DAWN HIGHAM on Unsplash

3 – Sara Farnell on Unsplash

Scriptures found on BibleGateway.com: Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.