The Harvest is Truly Great

Psalm 100 inspires us, as God’s servants, to serve Him with gladness. Sometimes, however, it is difficult for us to serve Him with a glad heart because of the stressors we encounter when fulfilling the ministry He has given to us. Stressors that we may encounter include feeling overwhelmed by the task requirements of our ministry, feeling a lack of control over the situations that may arise, and interpersonal conflict, for example. Overtime, if these stressors persist and we do not manage them effectively, we may begin to experience burnout.

Burnout is a form of chronic stress whereby long-term stressors cause mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, as well as other negative outcomes overtime (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018). Signs and outcomes of burnout may include changes in eating habits and sleep patterns (e.g., loss of appetite, insomnia), fatigue, joylessness, apathy and contempt, anger and frustration, hopelessness, anxiety and depression, gastrointestinal problems, heart problems, and poor concentration (Carter, 2013; Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018). As it pertains specifically to Christian ministry, we may end up turning away from the ministry God wants us to stick with and fulfill.

The Bible contains numerous accounts of people who, during their ministry, experienced incredible stressors, stressors that would make any one of us develop burnout. Moses, for example, had to deal with the constant rebellion of the Israelites as he led them to the Promised Land under God’s direction (Deuteronomy 31:24-27). Jesus faced denigrating accusations and rejection; was looked down upon by others; was plotted against and ridiculed; and experienced betrayal and desertion by His very own disciples (Matthew 12:22-24, 13:53-58; Mark 14:10-11, 43-52; Luke 4:16-30, 11:37-54; John 7:1-5, 8:1-6). In addition, the Apostle Paul (perhaps like some of the other apostles and New Testament Christians) faced imprisonment, beatings, opposition from others and false accusations, hardship due to natural disasters that occurred during his travels, hunger, and theft (II Corinthians 11:23-28). Nevertheless, despite whatever they faced they were able to persevere and fulfill the mission that was given to them. Like them, we can also overcome the stressors that we may experience during our ministry and thereby prevent burnout from developing. We can do this by:

Regularly communing in solitude with the Father. Jesus understood the importance of His relationship with the Father. Thus, He regularly seized opportunities to withdraw from the masses to pray to Him (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16, 6:12). Like Jesus, we too must seek opportunities to withdraw from the busyness of our ministry to pray. Doing so will help us to stay connected to the One who is the source of life and strength, the One who can recharge us and give us rest, the One who gives us His wisdom and shows us the way that we should take, and the One who gives us His peace and grace to handle the stressors that we will face.

Meditating on God’s word: Upon taking up the mantle to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land after Moses’ death, Joshua received the directive from God to not only be courageous, strong, and unafraid but to meditate on His word (Joshua 1:6-9). In the Bible, God’s word is likened to a sword (Ephesians 6:17), and it is a sword that we cannot live without. In addition to providing us with instructions as to how we should live for Him, God’s word speaks of His love and power and gives testimony to His desire and ability to help us. This can and should instill hope in us, inspire us to have confidence and trust in Him, and give us the courage to persevere.

Sharing the workload: During the earlier part of his tenure as Israel’s leader, Moses took on the full responsibility of serving as a judge and handling the issues and complaints the Israelites brought to him. When Jethro, Moses’ father in law, saw that he did this from morning until evening, he said, “The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone” (Exodus 18:13-18). His subsequent recommendation was for Moses (if God agreed) to select upright men (i.e., people who feared God, were honest, and hated covetousness) and delegate some of the responsibility to them. While Moses would oversee the bigger cases the men would handle the smaller cases. This was wise advice indeed that Moses ended up following and that we can follow as well (if it’s God’s will that we do so) so that we won’t end up feeling so worn out. After we receive confirmation that it’s okay to delegate work, we must make sure to seek God’s guidance as to whom we should enlist for help.

Taking care of physical needs: In response to receiving a death threat because of His service to God, Elijah became extremely despondent (I Kings 19:1-4). In response to this, God did not say to Elijah that it was okay to quit. Instead, God began the process of rejuvenating and strengthening him by first taking care of his physical needs (in a beautiful way). He did this by allowing Elijah to rest and by providing him with nourishment so that he could have the strength to carry out the great work and journey that was before him (I Kings 19:5-8). Our physical needs are important to God as well, and we would do well to make sure we do not neglect them. Even the Apostle John wished for his readers to prosper in health as they prospered spiritually (III John 3:2). We can prosper in health by following healthy eating and sleeping habits, exercising, and staying on top of our medical appointments. Neglecting our physical needs may result in health-related outcomes that have the potential of hindering our ability to complete the work of our ministry.

Staying connected to other believers: God also responded to Elijah’s discouragement (i.e., his belief that there was no one else in the world who was zealous for God) by reminding him that there were others like him who remained faithful to their devotion to Him (I Kings 19:18). We too may feel alone because of the struggles we experience as we serve the Lord; however, in addition to remembering that we’re never alone because God continuously abides with us, we should seek out opportunities to connect with other believers. Our connection to other believers provides us with a chance to receive encouragement to persevere, comfort, and wise counsel (Romans 1:11-12; Colossians 3:16).

Remembering that God remembers what we do for Him: During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He met ten lepers who sought Him for healing. Being the compassionate Lord that He is, He cleansed them all of their leprosy (Luke 17:11-19); however, only one took the time to show his appreciation. The same may happen to us during our ministry (maybe no one will show her or his appreciation towards us). Overtime, a lack of appreciation from others may begin to make us feel as if our ministry has no value or doesn’t matter. Quite frankly, however, while it may be nice for others to show their appreciation towards us, it’s not necessary in order for us to fulfill the mission God has for us. Instead of letting people’s lack of appreciation dishearten us, we should take heart in the fact that, “God is not unrighteous to forget [our] work and labour of love, which [we] have shewed toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10). In time, God will reward us (in this world or the world to come). So, let us not grow weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9).

We often have no control over the stressors that we will face as we serve God through our ministry to Him. Although this is the case, we can control how we respond to and approach those stressors. Being able to manage these challenges effectively will help to prevent ministry burnout. May God, through His power, grace, and mercy, help us to be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in His work (I Corinthians 15:58).