How to Stay Disciplined Spiritually When You Feel Tired and Unseen
No one saw me get up and do it tired.
No one saw the way I sat at the edge of my bed that night, heart heavy and soul stretched thin, trying to decide if I should open my Bible or just go to sleep. I was running on empty. Not the kind of tired that a nap could fix, but the kind that settled deep in my spirit.
I didn’t feel like showing up. I wasn’t feeling strong or motivated, and honestly, I didn’t feel all that spiritual. I just felt worn down.
My mind was spinning with questions. What’s the point? Does this even matter or just going through the motions?
But even in that space, I reached for the Word. Not to prepare a teaching or content. Not to check off a list. Just because I needed God. I needed to be reminded that He sees me. That He’s near, even when everything feels quiet and hard.
Before I even read a verse, tears filled my eyes. It wasn’t dramatic. Just a quiet breaking. A moment of surrender.
And in that moment, I felt the Lord whisper something to my heart:
This is where I meet you. Not in your performance, but in your persistence.
That’s when I realized something. We often think discipline is about being perfect. About getting everything right and sticking to the plan. But real discipline, the kind God honors, is about showing up when it would be easier to give up.
1. Start With Surrender, Not Strategy
Too often, we think we need to fix our schedule or get more motivated. But spiritual discipline starts with surrender. Invite God into your weakness. Tell Him the truth. He already knows you're tired.
2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
So don’t wait until you feel strong. Come as you are, and let God meet you there.
2. Focus on Consistency, Not Intensity
You don’t need a 90-minute devotional to grow spiritually. Open your Bible for five minutes. Whisper a prayer while you're folding laundry. Play praise music in the background. Small, faithful choices done daily will build lasting fruit.
Hebrews 12:11 says,
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Let that verse remind you that every moment of obedience counts, even when it feels small.
3. Remember Who You're Doing It For
Discipline gets easier when you remember it's not about earning God's love. It’s about staying close to the One who already loves you deeply. When no one else sees you reading, praying, or choosing holiness, God does.
Matthew 6:6 tells us,
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
He sees what no one else does. And He’s not keeping score. He’s building something eternal in you.
4. Let Grace Carry You When You Fall Off Track
You will have days where you miss your quiet time. Days where you choose Netflix over prayer. Don’t let guilt push you away. Let grace draw you back.
Galatians 6:9 says,
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
So when you mess up, start again. God’s mercy is new every morning and discipline is about returning, not arriving.
That night didn’t end with a breakthrough. There were no fireworks. No dramatic answers. But there was peace. A quiet, steady kind of peace. Not because anything changed, but because I remembered who God is. And I remembered that He sees me.
If you’re in a season where your obedience feels hidden, I want you to know that God sees every bit of it. He sees the early mornings. The late-night prayers. The discipline it takes to say yes to Him when no one else is watching.
He’s not just watching. He’s working. He’s forming something deep in you that will last. Because the roots of faith grow strongest in the secret place.
So keep going. Keep showing up. Keep choosing Him.
He’s not after your perfection. He’s after your heart.
And nothing you do in faith is ever wasted.
