Prayer Guide for the
Exhausted Worker:
An Examen for Finishing Well
Seeking God's Strength, Rest, and Direction When You're Barely Holding On
Introduction
The Examen is an ancient prayer practice developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola that helps us recognize God's presence in our daily lives and discern His leading. This adapted version is specifically for those who are exhausted by work, struggling to make it to retirement, and wondering if God cares about their weariness.
If you're barely holding on, if "I just want to do nothing" is your constant thought, if you're questioning whether you have anything left to give—this prayer guide is for you.

Set aside 25-35 minutes in a quiet place where you won't be interrupted.
Preparation
(2-3 minutes)
Begin in Stillness
  • Sit comfortably. If your body aches from work, acknowledge that pain.
  • Take several deep breaths. Let your shoulders drop.
  • Place your hands open on your lap as a symbol of bringing your exhaustion to God.
Opening Prayer:
"Lord, I come to You weary. I come depleted. I come with nothing left to prove and nothing left to give. I'm tired of pretending I'm okay. I'm tired of carrying this burden alone. As I sit here, help me know that You see me. You see every difficult day, every unreasonable demand, every moment I wanted to quit but didn't. I don't have the energy for flowery prayers. I just need You to meet me here, in my exhaustion. Help me hear Your voice above the noise of my weariness. Amen."
Step 1: Recognizing God's Presence in Your Weariness
(5-7 minutes)
Reflect on these truths: God hasn't abandoned you in your exhaustion. He's been present in every difficult shift, every challenging day, every moment you felt you couldn't go on. Let's look for evidence of His presence.
Consider:
  • When did you feel a moment of unexpected strength this week? Even a small moment—what helped you get through that day?
  • Where did you see evidence of God's provision? (A kind word from someone, a day that was easier than expected, strength you didn't know you had)
  • Who has God placed in your life to help carry this burden? (Even if you haven't asked for help yet, who is available?)
  • What small mercies did you experience? (A green light when you were running late, a parking spot close to the door, a coworker covering for you)
Prayer of Recognition:
"Father, help me see that even in my exhaustion, You haven't left me. Show me where You've been present this week—even in the smallest ways. Open my eyes to see Your faithfulness in the midst of my weariness. Thank You for the ways You've sustained me that I might not have even noticed."
Journal or mentally note: Where did I see God's presence in my difficult week?
Step 2: Naming the Burden
(6-8 minutes)
Give yourself permission to be completely honest with God. God can handle your frustration, your anger, your desperation. He's heard it all before. Remember Elijah ("I've had enough—take my life"), Job (cursing the day he was born), and the psalmists who regularly complained to God.
Reflect on what's really depleting you:
The Physical Toll:
  • What does your body feel like at the end of a workday?
  • Where do you carry tension and pain?
  • How has exhaustion affected your sleep, health, appetite?
The Emotional Drain:
  • What emotions dominate your workday? (Frustration, anxiety, anger, numbness?)
  • What steals your peace the most? (Difficult people, unreasonable expectations, lack of control, feeling undervalued?)
  • What do you fantasize about escaping from?
The Spiritual Impact:
  • How has exhaustion affected your relationship with God?
  • What has work stolen from you? (Time with family, ability to serve, energy to pray, joy in worship?)
  • Where do you feel guilt about your weariness?
The Relational Cost:
  • Who has your exhaustion affected? (Spouse, children, friends?)
  • What relationships have suffered because you have nothing left to give?
Prayer of Honest Lament:
"Lord, this is how I really feel: ______________________________
[Speak or write your honest thoughts—don't edit, don't spiritualize, just be real]
I'm angry about ______________________________
I'm afraid of ______________________________
I feel guilty about ______________________________
I long for ______________________________
I resent ______________________________
I just want ______________________________"
Remember: God already knows all of this. Your honesty doesn't shock Him—it invites Him into your real life.
Journal: What is the heaviest burden I'm carrying right now?
Step 3: Examining Your "I Want to Do Nothing" Desire
(7-9 minutes)
This is where we gently explore what you really want. When you say "I just want to do nothing," what are you actually longing for? Let's look beneath the surface.
Reflect on these questions:
What would "doing nothing" give you?
  • Relief from physical pain?
  • Freedom from toxic relationships?
  • Escape from feeling controlled?
  • Time to think and breathe?
  • Permission to rest without guilt?
  • Space to heal emotional wounds?
If you could retire tomorrow and "do nothing" for six months, what would change?
  • Would you feel peace? For how long?
  • What would you miss? What wouldn't you miss?
  • Would "nothing" truly satisfy your soul, or is it just the absence of pain you're seeking?
What are you really hungry for?
  • Peace instead of turmoil?
  • Dignity instead of being treated as disposable?
  • Purpose that doesn't break your body?
  • Time with people you love?
  • Spiritual connection you're too tired to pursue now?
  • Simple joys you've been too exhausted to enjoy?
Distinguishing Between Rest and Escape:
Consider these scenarios:
Scenario A: "Healthy Rest"
After retirement, you sleep well, spend time with loved ones, rediscover hobbies, pray without rushing, heal from workplace wounds, and slowly begin to wonder if there's something life-giving you could do with your wisdom.
Scenario B: "Empty Escape"
After retirement, you watch TV endlessly, avoid all commitments, isolate from community, and find that the emptiness inside doesn't go away—it just gets louder.
Which scenario resonates more with what you're truly seeking?
Prayer for Discernment:
"Lord, help me understand what I'm really longing for. Is it rest that restores, or escape that numbs? Is it healing I need, or just absence of pain? Show me what my exhaustion is trying to tell me. What am I running from? What am I running toward? If 'doing nothing' isn't really what I need, show me what I actually hunger for. And give me courage to name it honestly."
Journal: What am I really longing for when I say "I want to do nothing"?
Step 4: Discerning the Finish Line
(6-8 minutes)
God isn't asking you to work forever, but He is inviting you to finish faithfully.
Reflect on where you are:
What is your actual finish line?
  • How much longer until retirement? (Months? Years?)
  • Is there a specific date, or is it more ambiguous?
  • What would "finishing well" look like for you?
What does "finishing faithfully" mean—not perfectly, but faithfully?
Consider these possibilities:
  • Showing up with integrity (even if you're just going through the motions)
  • Not becoming bitter (even when you have every reason to be)
  • Maintaining your ethics (even when it's hard)
  • Being kind when you can (even when exhausted)
  • Doing your job adequately (not heroically, just adequately)
  • Not burning bridges (even if you want to)
  • Protecting your reputation (so you can retire with dignity)

Important: God is NOT asking you to:
  • Be a superhero in your final season
  • Revolutionize your workplace
  • Work yourself into the ground
  • Sacrifice your health for your job
  • Pretend you're not struggling
  • Take on new responsibilities
Questions for Reflection:
  • Can I make it to my retirement date if I give myself permission to finish rather than excel?
  • What would it look like to "run my bell lap"—to give what I can in this final stretch, knowing the finish line is coming?
  • What do I need to survive until retirement? (Better boundaries? Counseling? Medical care? Financial planning? Support from family? Reduced hours if possible?)
  • What do I need to let go of? (Perfectionism? Others' expectations? Guilt? The need to prove myself?)
Prayer for Strength to Finish:
"Lord, I don't know if I can make it to the finish line. Some days I don't even want to try. But if You're asking me to finish this race faithfully, I'm going to need Your help. I need:
  • Strength for each day (not strength for the whole journey, just today)
  • Grace to let go of what doesn't matter
  • Courage to set boundaries
  • Healing for my wounded spirit
  • Hope that the finish line is worth crossing
Help me run my bell lap. Not with speed, but with steadiness. Not with glory, but with dignity. Not perfectly, but faithfully. If this is the race You've marked out for me, help me see it through. And then—Lord, I'm asking You—give me the rest I so desperately need. Amen."
Journal: What does finishing faithfully look like for me in this season?
Step 5: Envisioning Rest and What Comes After
(5-7 minutes)
God wants to give you rest—real rest, not just absence of work.
Imagine your first month of retirement:
Close your eyes and picture it:
  • You wake up without an alarm. What does that feel like?
  • You have a whole day ahead with no obligations. What do you do?
  • Your body begins to recover. What changes do you notice?
  • You have time to pray, really pray. What do you talk to God about?
Now imagine six months into retirement:
  • You've slept well for months. Your body has healed somewhat. Your mind is clearer.
  • You've reconnected with your spouse, your family, your friends.
  • You've done some things you couldn't do while working (travel, hobbies, rest).
  • The immediate exhaustion has lifted.
Now ask yourself:
  • What does my soul still hunger for?
  • What would make me feel fully alive—not just "not tired"?
  • Is there anything life-giving I could imagine doing with my wisdom and experience—not because I have to, but because it brings joy?
Important: You don't need to have answers to these questions now. Just notice what stirs in your spirit when you imagine them.
Reflect on these possibilities:
After rest, might God be calling you to:
  • Mentor one person going through what you went through?
  • Use your skills in a non-draining way to help others?
  • Serve in a ministry that actually fills you rather than depletes you?
  • Simply be present—to pray, to encourage, to witness?
  • Enjoy God's creation and rest in His presence?
Or might He simply be calling you to:
  • Heal and rest for this season, with no pressure for "what's next"?
Prayer of Openness:
"Father, right now I can't imagine wanting to 'do' anything after retirement. I'm too tired to think beyond survival. But I'm willing to stay open. After I rest—really rest and heal—if You have something life-giving for me, something that doesn't break me but actually restores me, I'm willing to listen. I'm not committing to anything now. I'm just committing to not closing my heart completely to the possibility that after rest, there might be joy ahead. For now, just help me get to the finish line. The rest I'll leave in Your hands. Amen."
Journal: What might restored life look like for me?
Step 6: Receiving God's Compassion
(3-4 minutes)
God's heart toward you in your exhaustion.
Listen to what God says about the weary:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." (Isaiah 40:29)
"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:30-31)
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
Imagine Jesus speaking directly to you:
"I see every difficult day. I see every moment you wanted to quit but didn't. I see the toll this has taken on your body, your spirit, your relationships. I'm not disappointed in you for being tired. I'm not ashamed of you for wanting rest. I'm not judging you for feeling you have nothing left to give.
I'm inviting you to finish your race faithfully—and then I'm inviting you to rest in Me. Real rest. Healing rest. Rest that restores your soul.
Your value to Me isn't based on your productivity. You are My beloved child, and I delight in you—exhausted, struggling, barely holding on. I delight in you.
Finish your race. I'll help you. And then come and rest. I'll be waiting."
Sit quietly and receive this love for 1-2 minutes.
Step 7: Committing Your Path Forward
(2-3 minutes)
Make a simple commitment—not a heroic vow, just an honest next step.
Consider what you need:
"Based on this prayer time, I sense that I need to:"
  • ☐ Survive until retirement by: (set one boundary, get one support, make one change)
  • ☐ Finish faithfully by: (showing up, maintaining integrity, doing adequate work)
  • ☐ Seek help from: (counselor, pastor, friend, spouse, doctor)
  • ☐ Let go of: (perfectionism, guilt, others' expectations)
  • ☐ Plan for real rest by: (one specific thing to prepare for restoration)
  • ☐ Stay open to: (God's voice about what might come after recovery)
Closing Prayer of Commitment:
"Lord, I commit to taking these next steps:
In the short term (to survive until retirement): ___________________
For my finish line (to run my bell lap faithfully): ___________________
For my rest (to prepare for real restoration): ___________________
I can't do this alone. I need You every single day. Give me strength for today. Just today. Tomorrow I'll ask again.
Thank You for seeing me. Thank You for not giving up on me. Thank You that You understand weariness because You became human and grew weary too.
I trust You with what I can't control. I trust You with my finish line. I trust You with my future rest. I trust You with what comes after.
Even in my exhaustion, I'm Yours. Amen."
Recording Your Discernment
Before you end this prayer time, write down:
1. The heaviest burden I'm carrying:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. What I'm really longing for (beyond "doing nothing"):
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. One boundary or support I need to make it to retirement:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
4. What "finishing faithfully" looks like for me:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
5. One thing I'm committing to let go of:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
6. How I'll prepare for real rest:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Follow-Up Practices
Daily Prayer (1-2 minutes each morning)
"Lord, give me strength for just today. Help me show up. Help me maintain my integrity. Help me not become bitter. Remind me that the finish line is coming, and rest is waiting. Amen."
Weekly Check-In
Revisit this prayer guide once a week. Notice:
  • Is your burden feeling heavier or lighter?
  • Are you finding any moments of peace?
  • Do you sense God's presence more clearly?
  • What adjustments do you need to make?
When You're Struggling
On really hard days, return to Step 6 (Receiving God's Compassion) and let Jesus speak His words of love over your exhaustion.
Accountability
Share your discernment with:
  • A trusted friend who can pray for you
  • A counselor or spiritual director
  • Your spouse (if applicable)
  • A pastor who understands workplace exhaustion
Remember
God doesn't shame exhaustion. He honors it.
You're not weak for being tired. You're human.
You're not failing God by barely holding on. You're finishing your race.
Every step forward is an act of faithfulness.
You're not less spiritual for wanting rest. Jesus rested too.
Rest is not weakness—it's wisdom.
The finish line is coming. Rest is waiting. And God is with you every step of the way.
God's Promise
"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
— Isaiah 46:4
You don't have to do this alone.
For Additional Support
Seek professional counseling for workplace trauma
Talk to your doctor about exhaustion-related health issues
Connect with others navigating similar struggles
Consider whether you need medical leave or reduced hours
Begin financial planning for retirement with a trusted advisor
Prayer Guide for the Exhausted Worker:
An Examen for Finishing Well
Seeking God's Strength, Rest, and Direction When You're Barely Holding On
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