REFRESHED

Moving from Weariness to Renewal in God’s Presence

Life can be draining in many ways—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Scripture does not ignore this reality. But God does not leave us in our weariness. He offers rest for the burdened and renewal for those who are tired. This study explores the honest cries of the weary, the invitation from Jesus to find rest, and the refreshing work of the Holy Spirit. As you spend time in God’s Word, may you be strengthened, renewed in joy, and reminded that God meets you right where you are to fill you with His life and peace.

WEARY

Life can leave us worn down, anxious, and empty but Scripture doesn’t ignore our struggles.

Ecclesiastes 1:8
“All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”

Psalm 6:6
“I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.”

Job 3:26
“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Psalm 38:8–10
“I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.”

Lamentations 1:22b
“My groans are many, and my heart is faint.”

2 Corinthians 1:8
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.”

Psalm 42:5
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation”

Galatians 6:9
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Where do you feel most weary right now—physically, emotionally, or spiritually?

What thoughts or verses from this section reflect how you’ve been feeling lately?

Have you brought your weariness honestly before God?

REST

God invites us to find true rest, peace, and security in His presence.

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

Psalm 23:1–3
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Isaiah 30:15
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
‘In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’
But you were unwilling.”

Exodus 33:14
“And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”

Isaiah 26:3
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Mark 6:31
“And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’
For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”

Romans 8:26
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For we do not know what to pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

Psalm 91:1–2
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’”

What keeps you from slowing down and trusting God with your burdens?

What might it look like for you to accept Jesus’ invitation to rest today?

How can you intentionally create space to rest in God’s presence this week?

REFRESH

Through the Holy Spirit, God renews our strength and fills us with lasting joy and purpose.

Acts 3:19–20
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.”

Isaiah 40:29–31
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Titus 3:5–6
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Romans 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Ephesians 3:16–17
“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love.”

Psalm 51:10–12
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

John 4:10–14

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 7:37–39
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Are you resisting the renewal God is offering you?

What shift do you sense God is leading you toward?

How can we pray for each other as we move from weariness to refreshing?

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.