Have you ever been there? Staring at the ceiling at 2 AM, the weight of the world on your chest. You’re trying so hard to do the right thing, to be a good person, to serve God, but you’re just… tired. A bone-deep tired that sleep can’t fix. It’s the kind of exhaustion that makes you wonder if any of it is worth it. If you’ve felt that, you’re not alone. I’ve been there more times than I can count. In those moments, I desperately search for Don’t Give Up Bible Scriptures that speak directly to that feeling of wanting to just quit.
Life can be a relentless grind. You pour your heart into your family, your work, your church, and your community. You sow seeds of kindness, patience, and love. Yet, you look around and see no growth. The soil looks barren. The sky is empty of rain clouds. It’s in this spiritual drought that the whisper of despair gets loud. “Just give up. It doesn’t matter anyway.”
But that’s a lie.
And the truth, the powerful, life-altering truth, is found in a single verse that has become a lifeline for me: Galatians 6:9. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
This isn’t just a suggestion. It’s a promise wrapped in a command, a spiritual anchor for the weary soul. Let’s unpack it together.
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Key Takeaways
For those who are in the thick of it and need hope now, here’s what you need to hold onto:
- Weariness is Normal, Quitting is a Choice: The Bible acknowledges that we will feel weary. The battle is against letting that weariness lead us to give up.
- God’s Timing is Perfect: The promise of a “harvest” comes in “due season,” which is God’s perfect time, not necessarily our expected one. Trusting His calendar is key.
- Your Efforts Matter: Every small act of “doing good” is a seed planted. Nothing done for the Lord is ever wasted, even when you can’t see the results immediately.
- There is a Guaranteed Harvest: The verse doesn’t say we might reap. It says we will reap. The only condition attached to this divine promise is that we don’t quit.
- Strength Comes from God, Not Us: Trying to persevere in our own strength is a recipe for burnout. True endurance is found by plugging into God’s unlimited power source.
What Does Galatians 6:9 Really Mean for Us Today?
This verse is more than a nice sentiment for a coffee mug. It’s a strategic battle plan for Christians. When the Apostle Paul wrote this to the churches in Galatia, he was speaking to real people facing real struggles. They were dealing with false teachings and internal conflicts, and they were getting tired. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Let’s break it down piece by piece.
Let Us Not Grow Weary of Doing Good
First, what is “doing good”? It’s easy to think this means monumental, world-changing acts. Sometimes it does. But most often, “doing good” is the small, daily, unseen stuff.
- It’s choosing patience when your toddler has a meltdown for the fifth time today.
- It’s showing integrity at work when no one is watching.
- It’s praying for that friend who has walked away from their faith, year after year.
- It’s forgiving the person who hurt you, again.
Doing good is the moment-by-moment choice to reflect the character of Christ in a world that often does the opposite. And honestly, it’s exhausting. It’s a spiritual friction that wears you down. Paul isn’t scolding us for feeling tired; he’s encouraging us in our tiredness.
For in Due Season We Will Reap
This is the part of the promise that requires the most faith. “Due season.” We want the harvest now. We live in a world of instant gratification. We plant a seed in the morning and expect a full-grown tree by the afternoon.
But God is a farmer. He works in seasons. There’s a season for planting, a season for watering, and a season for waiting. The waiting is the hardest part. It’s when we’re most tempted to believe our work was for nothing.
A few years ago, my wife and I were mentoring a young man who was making one bad decision after another. We poured time, prayer, and resources into him. We loved him. But for two straight years, things only got worse. We were weary. We felt like our “doing good” was falling on rocky soil. We were ready to give up. We thought, “This is pointless.”
That was our feeling. But God’s promise was different. He was working in a season we couldn’t see.
If We Do Not Give Up
Here is the condition. The promise is incredible, a guaranteed harvest. But it’s conditional. It hinges on our perseverance. Notice the verse doesn’t say, “…if we don’t feel like giving up.” It says, “…if we do not give up.”
This is a profound difference. Feelings are fickle. You will feel like giving up. I do, all the time. The choice is whether we act on that feeling. Perseverance isn’t the absence of weariness; it’s the choice to take one more step even when you’re weary. It’s relying on God’s strength when your own is gone.
What Other Bible Verses Give You Strength When You’re Overwhelmed?
Galatians 6:9 is a powerhouse, but the Bible is a whole armory filled with Don’t Give Up Bible Scriptures. When you feel the weight of the world crushing you, you need more than one arrow in your quiver.
Finding Strength in God’s Limitless Power: Isaiah 40:28-31
This passage is a go-to for me when my personal energy tank is on empty.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
What I love about these verses is the contrast. It acknowledges that even the strongest among us—the “youths” and “young men”—will get tired. It normalizes weariness. It’s not a sign of spiritual failure; it’s a sign of being human.
The solution isn’t to “try harder.” The solution is to hope in the Lord. That hope isn’t passive wishing. It’s an active transfer of trust. It’s saying, “God, I have nothing left. I’m relying entirely on You now.” And He promises a supernatural exchange: our weakness for His strength.
How Can Jesus’s Words in Matthew 11:28-30 Help Me Today?
Jesus gives us perhaps the most compassionate invitation in all of Scripture here.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I used to be confused by the “yoke” imagery. A yoke is a heavy wooden beam that ties two oxen together for plowing. How is that “easy” or “light”?
Then someone explained it to me. When a young, inexperienced ox was being trained, it was often yoked to an older, stronger, master ox. The master ox carried the weight. It knew the path. The younger one simply had to walk alongside it.
This is what Jesus is offering. He’s not giving us a new set of tasks. He’s inviting us to yoke ourselves to Him. He carries the real weight. He knows the way forward. Our job is just to stay close to Him. The rest He offers isn’t a vacation from life; it’s a deep, soul-level peace that comes from letting Him take the lead.
Are There Bible Scriptures for When My Efforts Feel Useless?
This is a specific kind of weariness. It’s the discouragement that comes from pouring your all into something and seeing zero results. It’s when you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, and it breeds a cynical, hopeless attitude.
The Promise for Your Labor: 1 Corinthians 15:58
Right after a deep theological chapter about the resurrection, Paul ends with this incredibly practical and motivating command:
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
“Not in vain.” Not useless. Not a waste of time.
This verse directly attacks the lie that your work doesn’t matter. Every prayer, every act of service, every dollar given, every moment spent “doing good” in the name of the Lord has eternal significance. You might not see it now. The people you’re serving might not appreciate it. But in God’s economy, nothing is wasted. This truth helps you stand firm when you feel like wavering.
When You’re Tempted to Quit on a Difficult Project: Philippians 1:6
Sometimes the thing we want to give up on is a long, hard process of personal growth or a difficult project we believe God called us to.
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
This verse is a beautiful reminder that your sanctification and your calling are God’s projects. Yes, you participate, but He is the master craftsman. He doesn’t start a project and then abandon it because it got too difficult. He is faithful to complete what He starts. Your growth, your ministry, your work—if it was begun by Him, He will see it through. That takes so much pressure off of us.
How Do I Practically Apply These Scriptures When I’m at My Breaking Point?
Knowing these verses is one thing. Living them out when you’re in the fog of exhaustion is another. You can’t just think your way out of burnout.
It’s Okay to Admit You’re Not Okay
Christian culture sometimes pushes a “victory all the time” narrative that can feel suffocating. We feel like we have to pretend we have it all together. That is a heavy, unnecessary burden.
Paul himself said in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that he boasts in his weakness, because that’s when Christ’s power is most evident. There is incredible freedom in admitting, “I’m weak. I’m tired. I can’t do this on my own.” Admitting this to God is the first step. The second, and often scarier step, is admitting it to a trusted Christian friend.
The Power of a Simple, Honest Prayer
Your prayers don’t have to be poetic or long. When you’re at the end of your rope, the most powerful prayers are often the most simple.
- “God, help me.”
- “Jesus, I can’t. You must.”
- “Lord, I don’t want to do this anymore. Please give me strength to take the next step.”
God responds to raw honesty far more than polished pretense. He knows your heart anyway. Just tell Him where you are.
My Own Journey Through ‘Weariness’
A while back, I felt so spiritually dry that I decided to do a simple word study. I spent a few nights with a concordance just looking up every instance of words like “weary,” “faint,” and “perseverance.” I didn’t come at it like a scholar. I came at it like a desperate man looking for water.
What I found was that the Bible talks about this feeling all the time. It wasn’t a strange, new problem I was having. It was a core part of the experience of faith for millennia. From the prophets crying out to God to the disciples falling asleep in the garden, weariness is part of the story. This discovery was incredibly comforting. It made me feel less alone.
During this time, I found an article on perseverance from a Yale Divinity School publication that framed it not as a grim duty, but as an essential Christian virtue tied to hope. Reading insights from others, like those in the article “Perseverance: An Essential Christian Virtue,” reminded me that wrestling with these topics is a deep, historic part of our faith. It’s not a sign of failure but of engagement.
Your Harvest Is Coming
Let’s go back to that young man we were mentoring. After two years of seeing no change, we were ready to walk away. We prayed one last time, “God, we can’t do this anymore. If you want us to continue, you have to show us something.”
The next week, he called us out of the blue. He had hit rock bottom and was finally ready to get help. It was the beginning of a long, slow journey of healing. A harvest had begun to sprout. It didn’t happen on our timeline. It happened in God’s “due season.” If we had given up a week earlier, we would have missed it.
Your situation is unique. Your weariness is real. But the God who wrote these promises is even more real. He sees your “doing good.” He sees every seed you are planting in faith.
He hasn’t forgotten you. He is not tired. And His promise is unshakable.
So please, I’m begging you as a brother who is in the fight right alongside you: Do not grow weary. Do not give up. Your season is coming.
Frequently Asked Question – Don’t Give Up Bible Scriptures
How can prayer and church community help me when I feel ready to quit?
Prayer connects you directly to God, helping you find strength through His promises and His presence. Being part of a church community allows others to support and encourage you, reminding you that you are not alone in your struggles and that sharing burdens can give you renewed hope.
What are some scriptures that remind us God is always with us during hard times?
Verses like Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, and James 1:12 reassure us that God is always present. They encourage us not to fear or be dismayed because of His constant companionship and support during trials.
How can I use ‘doing good’ as a daily practice to stay encouraged?
Doing good involves small, everyday actions such as showing kindness, caring for your family, or praying instead of worrying. These acts are like planting seeds that will eventually lead to a harvest of blessings in God’s time.
What does it mean to ‘grow weary’ in a spiritual sense?
Growing weary spiritually is a deep exhaustion that affects your soul, such as feeling discouraged after years of praying without an answer or serving without recognition. It can also come from fighting the same sins repeatedly and doubting God’s attention, but God’s Word promises to strengthen those who rely on Him.
What does Galatians 6:9 really mean when I feel like quitting?
Galatians 6:9 offers hope by reminding us that our efforts in doing good and walking in faith are not for nothing. It encourages us to persevere, trusting that in God’s perfect timing, we will harvest the results of our faith and efforts.
