February 20: Strength for the Weary

It’s midweek, and you’re running on fumes. The old voice says you’ve earned a drink.

Isaiah says God gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even young people get tired. Even strong men stumble and fall. But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They’ll mount up with wings like eagles. They’ll run and not be weary. They’ll walk and not faint.

Notice the last line. Walk and not faint. Sometimes God gives you wings. Sometimes He gives you just enough strength to keep walking. Both are gifts.

Workweeks are hard on recovering drinkers. The stress builds up. The tiredness piles on. And for years the reward at the end was a drink. The “I’ve earned it” thought is one of the most common ones in early sobriety. It sounds fair. You did work hard. You are tired.

But a drink was never really rest. It was a loan against tomorrow, paid back with interest. Groggy mornings. Worse sleep. More stress.

Step Two offers a different source of strength. Not your own, which runs out, and not a bottle’s, which borrows from tomorrow. A Power greater than yourself, who doesn’t get tired and who gives strength to people who don’t have any.

What does waiting on the Lord look like on a Wednesday? Maybe it’s a five-minute prayer in the car before you walk into the office. Maybe it’s a short walk at lunch with a verse in your head. Maybe it’s admitting at the end of the day, “I’m exhausted, God. I need Your strength, not a drink.”

Then do the practical things too. Eat lunch. Drink water. Go to bed earlier. Find a new end-of-work reward: a good meal, a hot shower, a phone call with a friend, a favorite show. Something that refreshes you instead of draining you.

One thing today

Choose a new end-of-workday reward tonight and do it. Notice how you feel tomorrow morning compared to the old way.

A prayer

Lord, I’m worn out. I don’t have much strength left. I’m waiting on You instead of reaching for a drink. Renew me, even if it’s just enough to keep walking.

For a craving that comes with exhaustion, see this page. More on Step Two.

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