When exhaustion weakens our faith, God does not give up on us. Instead, He renews our strength and gently leads us forward—step by step. Chief Apostle Schneider explains how.
“And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you’” (1 Kings 19: 7). With this Bible verse, the Chief Apostle began the divine service on Sunday, 15 February 2026, in Bienne, Switzerland.
In despair
“Today’s Bible text is taken from the well-known story of Elijah,” the Church leader explained. On Mount Carmel, God sent fire from heaven to consume the altar. The people witnessed it and proclaimed, “Yes, this is the almighty God.” He gave Elijah the strength to kill all the prophets of Baal. But Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, and he fled into the wilderness. Discouraged, desperate, and exhausted, Elijah wished to die. In the Old Testament understanding, death meant final separation from God. In essence, Elijah was saying, “I want nothing more to with Him.”
Twice, God sent an angel to Elijah to strengthen him and to encourage him to continue his journey. After eating and drinking, Elijah continued his journey and walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Mount Horeb—where he encountered God. “We all experience moments like Elijah,” the Chief Apostle said, “when we feel drained, disappointed, and discouraged.”
Causes of spiritual exhaustion
Such moments can arise for many reasons:
- “We’ve failed in life.” We feel we have achieved nothing—neither in our marriage, family, nor in our career.
- “We feel let down by others—by our family, the congregation, the neighbourhood.” We feel we have been deceived and lied to.
- “We are disappointed in God.” Our prayers seem unanswered, our expectations unmet.
- “We may also be disappointed in ourselves.” We long to grow in faith, reach the goal, and yet repeatedly fall short.
- “There are fewer and fewer people in the congregation.” It can feel as though we are the only ones committed to staying—and are unsure whether we can manage.
Strengthened for the journey
In times of spiritual weariness, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of giving up our relationship with God. Instead, let us be wise and turn to God once more and say, “Lord, I cannot go on—now it is in Your hands.” That is, in essence, what Elijah expressed.
Yet God does not always help, for He knows that even a great miracle at that moment will not solve the situation. He shows us that the challenge does not lie in the situation or in other people, but within ourselves: “The problem lies within; our faith has grown weak.” We must eat and drink, spiritually speaking, to strengthen our faith.
Our faith is strengthened by …
- … God’s word! “In divine service, through the Holy Spirit, He tells us that He loves us.” Jesus came into the world and died for us. He chose and saved us from evil through the rebirth out of water and the Spirit. He has made us a child of God.
- … the fact that He “speaks of the future and reminds us that what really matters is eternal life”. The Christian faith must focus on the resurrection.
- … remembering “all that God has already done for us—even in daily life”. How many prayers has He already answered? Let us count our blessings.
- “… the sacrament of Holy Communion.” Through the consecrated wafer, Jesus gives us His body and blood. It is a personal reminder of His sacrifice!
- … the assurance: “We are not alone.” There are many brothers and sisters all over the world, and many faithful souls in the beyond.
Small steps, big impact
Once strengthened, God expects us to rise and continue our journey.
- God’s salvation does not depend on circumstances. “Our salvation depends entirely on our decisions.”
- “By doing God’s will, keeping His commandments, and by being obedient, we are on the sure path.”
- “Let us arise and keep going and draw nearer to the Lord.” That means becoming more and more like Christ.
- “We can make a difference. We cannot change the world, but as last year’s motto said: we can do good.” Even if it is just a small thing and seems pointless: “Wait and see! God blesses that which is good, and this can have eternal consequences we cannot yet see or even comprehend.”
- Strong faith brings deep joy, regardless of life’s challenges: joy in Christ’s victory, His love, the inheritance of His glory, and the prospect of being with Him soon.
“God’s first aid is to strengthen our faith,” the Chief Apostle emphasised—through His word, the sacraments, fellowship, and remembering all the good He has done.