I often hear the elderly in our congregation (and in others) lament that there is nothing left for them to do. Their strength is meagre, and they sigh in dissatisfied resignation, “I guess I can still pray”. One main thing needs to say to those who are victims of this attitude. It is that we should never add “still” before prayer as if praying were the last and least and weakest of forms of service. 

There is a striking verse in 2 Chronicles 35. We read, “He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD”. Without making any attempt to explain the context of the passage, I want to draw out one simple observation: each of us needs to be encouraged in the service of God. If the hymn-writer summons us to move from duty to delight, it is because all too often delight lapses into duty. Spiritual service can quickly feel like nothing more than toil. To serve on door duty can feel like paying the bills; to be summoned back into the Sunday school can feel like an underserved punishment; and to receive a tea-rota notification can – if we are honest – strike the same chord in our hearts as receiving a citation for jury duty.

How do we overcome such attitudes? We all regularly need to be encouraged in the service of the Lord. Anxiety is not the only mood that weights the heart down. Tiredness can make it heavy, too. And what is the answer to such lethargy? Proverbs tells us: “a good word cheers up [the heart]”. May this reflection be a good word to every heart needing a ray of summer sunshine on a bleak Autumn afternoon.

A Good Word to Those Tired in Service 

Labour is tiring; this is true in church and out of church. What can I say to those who feel exhausted in the grind of church service? Let me offer the vitamins and minerals of I Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain”. Now, the danger of reading this verse is that “not in vain” sounds like muted encouragement. It’s easy to think that the correct paraphrase would be “at least your work is not for nothing”. Frankly, such an interpretation is uninspiring.

I think there is a better way to recast the meaning. We find this in chapter three of the same letter when Paul tells us that we are able to contribute “gold, silver, and precious stones” to the great building project of God and that such efforts will result in “reward” (vs. 14).

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