Mud Day Blues
“So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.” Jeremiah 38:6
The prophet Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. This is because of the hard messages he was called to declare to his people which He delivered with a broken heart (Jeremiah 13:17). Jeremiah grieved not only because of the nations sins and impending judgment, but also because his warnings were mostly ignored and rejected. Moreover, Jeremiah was persecuted by his own people who took offense as he faithfully delivered the warnings of the Lord.
Describing what it’s like to be a faithful prophet, Thom Lemmons wrote, "To be forged upon the anvil of God's purpose, to be at once His hammer, His tongs, and His molten iron; to hear words that rend the heart, see visions that pierce the chest; to be emptied like an urn, again and again and again until one desires only rest, only an end to the refilling — and to know one cannot live without the refilling. To be given words that one dare not speak, and to feel those words churning and boiling in the belly until one must speak them aloud, or die. To be despised, soon or late, by everyone except Adonai — and to desire it so, while hating it. This is to be a prophet."
As a prophet, Jeremiah experienced great loneliness and hardship, but he also knew the fellowship and deliverance of God. At the start of his prophetic ministry, the Lord promised, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:5-8)
Once after having delivered God’s word to his people not to resist the Babylonian invasion, which was God’s judgment, his detractors had him cast into a broken cistern where he sank into the mud. But later, King Zedekiah, who permitted for Jeremiah to be cast into the cistern, was persuaded by Ebed-Melech to free him. Jeremiah was near death before the king commanded thirty men to rescue him. (Jeremiah 38:7-13)
Like Jeremiah, many today who have been called by God into ministry, especially faithful pastors and preachers, often find themselves in cisterns of discouragement and loneliness. During a time when people seem so distracted and the world so chaotic, we wonder if our message and ministry is making a difference.
As one Pastor noted:
Your average Pastor in America may not be thrown in a waterless cistern filled with mud, but often they wake up in the morning feeling the Monday blues. We wake up with the thought, “It’s Monday but Sunday is coming and there’s so much to do in between.” And when you’ve worked hard the week before caring for the flock and preparing to preach, while carrying the cares of your own family, and wondering if you made a difference, it’s a struggle to find the motivation to forge ahead. Mondays are hard for me and many other Pastors. And I’m certain that we are not the only ones who feel the Monday blues.
Many people have a hard time on Mondays. Whether you are working full time or are a stay-at-home mom, you’ve most likely had a busy weekend and may dread having to start all over again. You feel like Jeremiah, stuck in the mud, wondering how you’re going to get up and get going.
Some time ago, I came across an article by Joshua Finley that spoke to my Monday blues and suggested three things to think about that can lift you out of the mud of Monday.
“1. Adrenaline (PHYSICAL)
Let’s get real practical for a minute. Research tells us that one hour of standing on your feet preaching and ministering is the equivalent of an eight hour day of manual labor. If you do multiple services, well you do the math. That’s a whole lot of stress on your body. Mondays are tough for preachers because their body experiences a huge decrease from the ‘adrenaline dump’ that takes place in their body over the weekend. Of course we rely on the anointing, but our body also responds to ministry environments with adrenaline. Speaking in front of people, meeting first-time guests, fielding questions on-the-fly, all contribute to a rush of adrenaline in our system. Today, you most likely feel that dip. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes it’s dramatic. One wise preacher and leader taught me, ‘Never trust your thoughts on a Monday.’ Go easy on yourself today. You went through a lot this past weekend. Your body needs some rest and margin.
2. Attack (SPIRITUAL)
After a major spiritual victory, the adversary would love to attack you in some way. He’s not going to come when you feel strong. He looks for an opportune time to mess with you when you are feeling weak. Many people only prepare for the battle on the front end instead of the back end as well. Stay sober in your thinking and close to Jesus. Our enemy is a defeated foe, but when we are fatigued, he sometimes appears larger than life. ‘Fatigue will make cowards of us all.’ -Vince Lombardi
3. Assessment (PERSONAL)
Of the three things you will face on a Monday, this is probably the most formidable. Sundays are not a preaching competition where you are scored and measured against your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing how you feel on a Monday with the best Instagram video or highlight reel of some of the top communicators in America. We’ve all done it! That said, it is natural to personally reflect and gauge on how you think you did. Some of that is productive, much of it is not. The truth is that we don't see ourselves very clearly in our personal assessments. Leave that kind of scrutiny up to the Holy Spirit.
Friend, be kind to yourself today in your ‘self talk’. The Bible reminds us not to measure ourselves, by ourselves. More was happening in and through you than you could possibly measure or fathom. Focus on that. Celebrate that. Thank God for the fruit you see and the fruit you don’t see, instead of dwelling on your version of what did or did not happen. And if you are struggling, please don’t try to navigate your inner world without some help. Many times we need God to search us and show us and sometimes we also need professional help to be included in that process. Since we are in this for the long haul, that means you and I will have to weather many more Mondays. Take good care of yourself.”
That’s good advice. It’s helped me a great deal on mud days. And most of all, let us not forget that the same God that helped us get through last week, has all the grace we need for this week. Jesus was forsaken so that you would never be.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
P.S. Pray for your pastors and ministry leaders, especially on Mondays.
The prophet Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. This is because of the hard messages he was called to declare to his people which He delivered with a broken heart (Jeremiah 13:17). Jeremiah grieved not only because of the nations sins and impending judgment, but also because his warnings were mostly ignored and rejected. Moreover, Jeremiah was persecuted by his own people who took offense as he faithfully delivered the warnings of the Lord.
Describing what it’s like to be a faithful prophet, Thom Lemmons wrote, "To be forged upon the anvil of God's purpose, to be at once His hammer, His tongs, and His molten iron; to hear words that rend the heart, see visions that pierce the chest; to be emptied like an urn, again and again and again until one desires only rest, only an end to the refilling — and to know one cannot live without the refilling. To be given words that one dare not speak, and to feel those words churning and boiling in the belly until one must speak them aloud, or die. To be despised, soon or late, by everyone except Adonai — and to desire it so, while hating it. This is to be a prophet."
As a prophet, Jeremiah experienced great loneliness and hardship, but he also knew the fellowship and deliverance of God. At the start of his prophetic ministry, the Lord promised, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:5-8)
Once after having delivered God’s word to his people not to resist the Babylonian invasion, which was God’s judgment, his detractors had him cast into a broken cistern where he sank into the mud. But later, King Zedekiah, who permitted for Jeremiah to be cast into the cistern, was persuaded by Ebed-Melech to free him. Jeremiah was near death before the king commanded thirty men to rescue him. (Jeremiah 38:7-13)
Like Jeremiah, many today who have been called by God into ministry, especially faithful pastors and preachers, often find themselves in cisterns of discouragement and loneliness. During a time when people seem so distracted and the world so chaotic, we wonder if our message and ministry is making a difference.
As one Pastor noted:
“Pastoring is weird. I'm too much for some, yet too little for others. The same preaching that convicts one person angers another. The same sermon that was boring to one was massively impactful to another. Praised for being so loving and graceful, yet slandered for being too loving and graceful in certain situations.
Pastoring is weird. You give everything you have and somehow still feel like you didn't give enough. You never meet certain people's expectations. You didn't do enough according to someone's opinion. And there's always someone confident they could do a better job, yet all they do is criticize from the sidelines.
Pastoring is weird... and yet there's so much fulfillment in precious moments. The feeling you get when someone gives their life to Christ is beautiful. When you marry a couple who met at your church, bring restoration to a broken family, or dedicate a child that mom and dad prayed hard for makes everything else worth it.
Pastoring is weird. It's challenging, heartbreaking, and can be discouraging, but it's also fulfilling, inspiring, and awesomely life-changing. I don't have to do this, I GET to do this. Pastoring is not for the faint of heart. It can be brutal, but it can also be beautiful. Pastoring is weird, but I guess I'm weird too.” -Joshua Reyes
Your average Pastor in America may not be thrown in a waterless cistern filled with mud, but often they wake up in the morning feeling the Monday blues. We wake up with the thought, “It’s Monday but Sunday is coming and there’s so much to do in between.” And when you’ve worked hard the week before caring for the flock and preparing to preach, while carrying the cares of your own family, and wondering if you made a difference, it’s a struggle to find the motivation to forge ahead. Mondays are hard for me and many other Pastors. And I’m certain that we are not the only ones who feel the Monday blues.
Many people have a hard time on Mondays. Whether you are working full time or are a stay-at-home mom, you’ve most likely had a busy weekend and may dread having to start all over again. You feel like Jeremiah, stuck in the mud, wondering how you’re going to get up and get going.
Some time ago, I came across an article by Joshua Finley that spoke to my Monday blues and suggested three things to think about that can lift you out of the mud of Monday.
“1. Adrenaline (PHYSICAL)
Let’s get real practical for a minute. Research tells us that one hour of standing on your feet preaching and ministering is the equivalent of an eight hour day of manual labor. If you do multiple services, well you do the math. That’s a whole lot of stress on your body. Mondays are tough for preachers because their body experiences a huge decrease from the ‘adrenaline dump’ that takes place in their body over the weekend. Of course we rely on the anointing, but our body also responds to ministry environments with adrenaline. Speaking in front of people, meeting first-time guests, fielding questions on-the-fly, all contribute to a rush of adrenaline in our system. Today, you most likely feel that dip. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes it’s dramatic. One wise preacher and leader taught me, ‘Never trust your thoughts on a Monday.’ Go easy on yourself today. You went through a lot this past weekend. Your body needs some rest and margin.
2. Attack (SPIRITUAL)
After a major spiritual victory, the adversary would love to attack you in some way. He’s not going to come when you feel strong. He looks for an opportune time to mess with you when you are feeling weak. Many people only prepare for the battle on the front end instead of the back end as well. Stay sober in your thinking and close to Jesus. Our enemy is a defeated foe, but when we are fatigued, he sometimes appears larger than life. ‘Fatigue will make cowards of us all.’ -Vince Lombardi
3. Assessment (PERSONAL)
Of the three things you will face on a Monday, this is probably the most formidable. Sundays are not a preaching competition where you are scored and measured against your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing how you feel on a Monday with the best Instagram video or highlight reel of some of the top communicators in America. We’ve all done it! That said, it is natural to personally reflect and gauge on how you think you did. Some of that is productive, much of it is not. The truth is that we don't see ourselves very clearly in our personal assessments. Leave that kind of scrutiny up to the Holy Spirit.
Friend, be kind to yourself today in your ‘self talk’. The Bible reminds us not to measure ourselves, by ourselves. More was happening in and through you than you could possibly measure or fathom. Focus on that. Celebrate that. Thank God for the fruit you see and the fruit you don’t see, instead of dwelling on your version of what did or did not happen. And if you are struggling, please don’t try to navigate your inner world without some help. Many times we need God to search us and show us and sometimes we also need professional help to be included in that process. Since we are in this for the long haul, that means you and I will have to weather many more Mondays. Take good care of yourself.”
That’s good advice. It’s helped me a great deal on mud days. And most of all, let us not forget that the same God that helped us get through last week, has all the grace we need for this week. Jesus was forsaken so that you would never be.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
P.S. Pray for your pastors and ministry leaders, especially on Mondays.