When Showing Up Is All You Have Left
You have been running on empty for longer than you can remember. The motivation is gone. The passion dried up somewhere along the way. Some mornings it takes everything inside you just to get through the door, and even that feels like too much to ask.
Hashem sees you showing up anyway. He sees the weight you carry for your family, for your work, for the people around you who need you. Hashem does not turn away from a Yid who is depleted.
There is a kapitel in Tehillim that speaks powerfully to this kind of emptiness. Kapitel 63 is introduced as “a psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” In that dry place, David says, “my soul thirsts for You… in a dry and weary land where no water is.”
Before You Say This Kapitel
This tefillah is written for the person who is burned out, who has given everything and feels there is nothing left inside. You do not need to find the right words on your own. Let these words be your tefillah.
Master of the Universe, my soul thirsts for You in a dry and weary land. I gave everything and am left empty. No strength for work, for family, even for prayer. Fill me anew, give me living waters, and revive a desolate soul. God of Meir, answer me.
If giving tzedakah, add:
In the merit of the tzedakah I give in the merit of Rabbi Meir, who renewed strength, so may You renew my strength. Ribbono Shel Olam, I care for Your children. Please care for me.
Kapitel 63: The Full Prayer
מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד בִּהְיוֹתוֹ בְּמִדְבַּר יְהוּדָה׃
אֱלֹהִים אֵלִי אַתָּה אֲשַׁחֲרֶךָּ צָמְאָה לְךָ נַפְשִׁי כָּמַהּ לְךָ בְשָׂרִי בְּאֶרֶץ־צִיָּה וְעָיֵף בְּלִי־מָיִם׃
כֵּן בַּקֹּדֶשׁ חֲזִיתִךָ לִרְאוֹת עֻזְּךָ וּכְבוֹדֶךָ׃
כִּי־טוֹב חַסְדְּךָ מֵחַיִּים שְׂפָתַי יְשַׁבְּחוּנְךָ׃
כֵּן אֲבָרֶכְךָ בְחַיָּי בְּשִׁמְךָ אֶשָּׂא כַפָּי׃
כְּמוֹ חֵלֶב וָדֶשֶׁן תִּשְׂבַּע נַפְשִׁי וְשִׂפְתֵי רְנָנוֹת יְהַלֶּל־פִּי׃
אִם־זְכַרְתִּיךָ עַל־יְצוּעָי בְּאַשְׁמֻרוֹת אֶהְגֶּה־בָּךְ׃
כִּי־הָיִיתָ עֶזְרָתָה לִּי וּבְצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ אֲרַנֵּן׃
דָּבְקָה נַפְשִׁי אַחֲרֶיךָ בִּי תָּמְכָה יְמִינֶךָ׃
וְהֵמָּה לְשׁוֹאָה יְבַקְשׁוּ נַפְשִׁי יָבֹאוּ בְּתַחְתִּיּוֹת הָאָרֶץ׃
יַגִּירֻהוּ עַל־יְדֵי־חָרֶב מְנָת שֻׁעָלִים יִהְיוּ׃
וְהַמֶּלֶךְ יִשְׂמַח בֵּאלֹהִים יִתְהַלֵּל כָּל־הַנִּשְׁבָּע בּוֹ כִּי יִסָּכֵר פִּי דוֹבְרֵי־שָׁקֶר׃
Mizmoir l’Dovid bihyoisoi b’midbar Y’hudoh.
Eloihim Eili attoh ashachareko tzom’oh l’cho nafshi komah l’cho v’sori b’eretz-tziyoh v’oyeif b’li-moyim.
Kein bakkoidesh chazisicho lir’ois uzz’cho uchvoidecho.
Ki-toiv chasd’cho meichayim s’fosai y’shab’chuncho.
Kein avorech’cho v’chayoy b’shimcho es-so chappoy.
K’moi cheilev vodeshen tisba nafshi v’sifsei r’nonois y’hallel-pi.
Im-z’charticho al-y’tzu’oy b’ashmurois ehgeh-boch.
Ki-hoyiso ezrosoh li uvtzeil k’nofecho arannein.
Dov’koh nafshi acharecho bi tom’choh y’minecho.
V’heimoh l’shoioh y’vakshu nafshi yovo’u b’tachtiyois ho’oretz.
Yaggiruhu al-y’dei-chorev m’nos shu’olim yihyu.
V’hammelech yismach b’Eloihim yishallel kol-hannishbo boi ki yissoicheir pi doiv’rei-shoker.
Mizmor le-David bihyoto bemidbar Yehuda.
Elohim Eli ata ashachareka tzame’a lecha nafshi kamah lecha vesari be’eretz-tziya ve’ayef beli-mayim.
Ken bakodesh chaziticha lir’ot uzzeka uchvodecha.
Ki-tov chasdeka mechayim sefatay yeshabechuncha.
Ken avarechecha vechayay beshimcha esa chapay.
Kemo chelev vadeshen tisba nafshi vesiftei renanot yehalel-pi.
Im-zecharticha al-yetzu’ay be’ashmurot ehgeh-bach.
Ki-hayita ezrata li uvtzel kenafecha aranen.
Daveka nafshi acharecha bi tamecha yeminecha.
Vehema lesho’a yevakshu nafshi yavo’u betachtiyot ha’aretz.
Yagiruhu al-yedei-charev menat shu’alim yihyu.
Vehammelech yismach b’Elohim yit-halel kol-hanishba bo ki yisacher pi dovrei-shaker.
A psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
God, You are my God; I search for You, my soul thirsts for You, my body yearns for You, as a parched and thirsty land that has no water.
I shall behold You in the sanctuary, and see Your might and glory.
Truly Your faithfulness is better than life; my lips declare Your praise.
I bless You all my life; I lift up my hands, invoking Your name.
I am sated as with a rich feast, I sing praises with joyful lips
when I call You to mind upon my bed, when I think of You in the watches of the night,
for You are my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I shout for joy.
My soul is attached to You; Your right hand supports me.
May those who seek to destroy my life enter the depths of the earth.
May they be gutted by the sword; may they be prey to jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by God shall exult, when the mouth of liars is stopped.
Dovid wrote this kapitel while he was on the run from Shaul, hiding in the Judean wilderness. He was physically drained, cut off from the Beis HaMikdash, far from everything that nourished him. And yet, from that emptiness, he found words. If you feel too tired to daven, know that these words composed b’ruach hakodesh were placed into the world for exactly that moment. The kapitel begins in thirst and ends in trust.
What These Words Mean for You
Tzom’oh l’cho nafshi “My soul thirsts for You.”
Tzom’oh. Thirsts. Not the ordinary thirst of someone who missed a glass of water.
This is the language of deep need. Dovid is saying: my neshomoh is parched. When burnout takes hold, you feel it in your bones. You lose the taste for things that once brought you joy. Dovid gives words to that feeling and turns it toward Hashem. The thirst itself becomes the tefillah. If you feel empty right now, you can bring that emptiness itself into tefillah.
B’eretz tziyoh v’oyeif b’li moyim “As a parched and thirsty land that has no water.”
The word tziyoh means a dry, parched land. Oyeif means weary or exhausted. Dovid is describing a place of depletion, a landscape with no water.
If your days feel like a desert right now, these words give you a way to daven from inside that dryness. Dovid does not wait for relief before turning to Hashem.
Ki toiv chasd’cho meichayim “Truly Your faithfulness is better than life.”
This is one of the most striking lines in Tehillim. Dovid says that the chesed of Hashem is greater than life itself. Here, chesed is better rendered as lovingkindness or steadfast love, not simply faithfulness. It is His care that holds a person even when he feels emptied out.
When you are burned out, life can feel like it has lost its flavor. Everything is heavy. Dovid reminds himself, and reminds you, that Hashem’s chesed is still there. It is still holding you. It is still a reason to praise, even before the burden lifts.
Uvtzeil k’nofecho arannein “In the shadow of Your wings I shout for joy.”
The word tzeil means shadow or shelter. K’nofecho means Your wings. Arannein means I sing out or rejoice. Dovid, in the wilderness, pictures himself sheltered beneath the wings of the Shechinah.
Even in depletion, even in the midbar, Dovid says: I will sing. Not because everything is easy, but because Hashem’s closeness is real even in the hardest place. For the person who is burned out, this passuk is a source of chizuk. You do not have to find your way out of the wilderness alone. There is shelter even there.
How to Say This Prayer
Some people say Kapitel 63 first thing in the morning, before the heaviness of the day settles in. Others say it at night, lying in bed, when it is quiet enough to feel what they are carrying. Dovid himself mentions the watches of the night in this kapitel. Say it whenever you feel the need. You may also find comfort in our tefillah for self-worth.
You do not need to wait for perfect kavanah. If you are too tired to read the Hebrew, you can still use the English to speak honestly to Hashem. If you are too tired for even that, just sit with the tefillah above and let those few sentences be your tefillah to Hashem.
Before you begin, set your kavanah. You might say quietly: “Hashem, I am coming to You completely drained. I have poured out everything I have for my work and my family, and I have no strength left, not even for this tefillah. Please fill me up again. Breathe new life into me. I need Your help to keep going.”
Tefillah and tzedakah are deeply connected. Tefillah is the heart reaching up to Hashem, and tzedakah is the hand reaching out to help another Yid. Some have the custom, after saying this kapitel, to give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness and add: Elokah d’Meir aneni!
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness was one of the greatest Tannaim. The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) tells how Bruria asked Rabbi Meir to rescue her sister, who was condemned by the Romans to a house of shame. There seemed to be no way out. Rabbi Meir approached the guard with a bribe, teaching him to say “Eloka d’Meir aneni!” — “God of Meir, answer me!” — if he was ever in danger for releasing her. When the guard asked for proof, Rabbi Meir said the words and nearby dogs that had been ready to attack turned away. The guard was convinced and released her, later on using these words to save his life when he was caught. Hashem brought miraculous salvation in the merit of this great tzaddik.
When you are burned out, you know what it means to feel trapped. By giving tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, you are asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this great tzaddik and your own act of chesed.
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. For over two centuries, it has supported talmidei chachamim and the poor in Eretz Yisrael. The talmidei chachamim at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias daven for those who reach out to them. When you give to the poor of Eretz Yisrael in the zechus of Rabbi Meir, your chesed and your tefillah rise together. You may also find comfort in our tefillah for exhaustion.
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Tehillim 63 is a strong kapitel for someone feeling drained. David speaks from the wilderness and describes deep thirst and longing for Hashem. The kapitel begins in emptiness and yearning, and moves toward trust, closeness, and confidence in Hashem’s help. Yes. You do not need perfect kavanah or perfect pronunciation. If you can only whisper a few words, that is enough. Hashem hears the tefillah of someone who shows up even when they have nothing left. If the Hebrew feels like too much, say it in English or in your own words. Rabbi Meir was a great Tanna who said “Elokah d’Meir aneni!” to the guard, and through those words Bruria’s sister was rescued from captivity when there seemed to be no way out. Giving tzedakah in his zechus is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this tzaddik and your act of chesed. Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities, founded in 1799, supports talmidei chachamim and families in Eretz Yisrael. Those who daven this kapitel often find our tefillah for anxiety helpful as well. You can say it at any time. Morning, afternoon, or before bed. Say it when your heart feels heavy and you need to bring your exhaustion before Hashem. God of Meir, answer me.” These are the words Rabbi Meir said to the guard when there seemed to be no way out. Saying them after Kapitel 63 and giving tzedakah is asking Hashem to answer in the merit of this tzaddik.
A Prayer for the One Who Is Spent
You have given everything to everyone, and there is nothing left for yourself.
May Hashem fill you again with living waters. May He renew your strength the way He renews the morning. May the heaviness on your heart begin to lift. And may you feel, even now, that you are not alone in the wilderness. Hashem is right here beside you, and He does not leave the ones who call out to Him from the dry places.
You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the kever if Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost. They will daven for you by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your prayer.
