If you’re like me, you know what it’s like to feel tired and exhausted when you sit down to read the Bible.

Sometimes reading the Word seems to energize us, and other times it isn’t easy to get through a single verse.

I’ve often wondered why I feel tired when I read my Bible or during my prayer times. I believe it’s often spiritual warfare, especially if it’s something important God wants you to discover in the Word or during intercessory prayer. 

Reasons for Falling Asleep When You Read the Bible

• There is Spiritual warfare: Daniel 10, spiritual battles can occur during prayer and Bible study.
• Jesus needed time with the Father to be refreshed while He was on Earth (Luke 5:16), so too do we need that same refreshing power that comes from Bible devotions.
• Poor Diet & Nutrition
• Physical fatigue: Sitting for long periods of time
• Bad Sleep Habits
• Environment: Noisy or uncomfortable areas can make it difficult to focus
• Emotional and mental pressures

The enemy does not want you to know who you are in Christ. He knows that the Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit, the very sword that has the power to defeat him. He’s afraid that you’ll wake up to who you are in Christ and reclaim the area’s in your life that he controls–or worse, you will preach the good news to others and set them free!

Satan is afraid of Christians, especially Christians who pray and read the Word.

The book of Daniel shows us that our prayers move angels and demons into the unseen realm. You can bet that when you set yourself to read your Bible prayerfully, the enemy doesn’t like it and will do things to distract you or make you tired.

Sometimes I walk away from my Bible devotion time full of vibrant energy and joy—ready to take on the world. Other times I feel fatigued, like I have to take a nap.

When you read the Word, you are renewing your mind. God’s Word never returns back to him void. Instead, the Word will awaken worship, prayer, and intercession.

The enemy resists our prayers and does everything he can to hinder God’s purposes. God hears us when we pray and often releases an immediate answer to our prayers. Still, demonic resistance often can hinder and delay the answer from manifesting.

Daniel 10 Pulls Back the Curtain on Spiritual Warfare

The book of Daniel takes us behind the scenes and shows what happens when we pray. For example, in Daniel chapter 10, we read that Daniel went on a limited fast for 21 days. 

During this fast, he was mourning for his nation Israel as they were held captive in Babylon at the time. Therefore, he ate no meat, alcohol, or sweets on his fast; he ate no food that was pleasing to the eye.

On the 21st day of his fast, an angel encountered him and gave him insight into what was happening behind the scenes, in the spirit realm, when he began to pray. The angel told Daniel he was delayed because the prince of Persia had resisted him during those 21 days. 

This prince he mentions was a principality. A high-ranking fallen angel. We know that 1/3 of the angels joined Lucifer in his rebellion against God (The good news is that there are two angels for every demon).

The angel told Daniel that as soon as Daniel had set his face to God and begun praying, a message was released by God. 

This angel was carrying the message. He gave him a vision of things to come and of the end times. Angels deliver messages from God to his people. The Word for angel in Hebrew/Greek is “messenger.” Angels are messengers. We see in the Bible that they often carry scrolls.

In response to Daniel’s prayer and fasting, the archangel Michael showed up and helped shift things in the spirit realm in God’s favor. The archangel Michael came to the rescue of this other angel and helped him. God moves in response to our prayers—and so do angels and demons. 

God partners with us, and when we pray for God’s will to “be done on earth as it is in heaven,”—it carries authority with it in the spiritual realm.

And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this Word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.” 

Daniel 10:11-14 ESV

Bible Reading is Just as Important As Prayer

Reading God’s Word is just as important as prayer. By reading, studying, and meditating on scripture, we align our hearts and minds and become more conformed to Jesus’ image.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”

Matthew 4:4

Through reading, meditating, and studying the Bible, we receive illumination from the Holy Spirit, which allows us to comprehend God’s plan for our lives and test and know what the perfect will of God is. Then, by constantly renewing our minds and obedience to Jesus’ words, we mature, can digest the meat, and learn to discern good from evil.

So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17

Jesus emphasizes the importance of hearing His Words. As we conform our hearts and minds to His Word, He will strengthen our faith. In addition, his Word has supernatural power that can create confidence in us and grow our spirits.

His words lead us to prayer.

When we hear God’s voice speaking to us through scripture, it is like a fire burning inside us, causing us to be passionate about the things of God. We are then empowered with divine strength to dialogue with God, worship, and intercede on behalf of other people and nations.

You can be sure that when you spend time reading the Bible and praying Scripture over yourself, other people, nations, etc.—you will experience demonic resistance. 

The enemy hates Christians, and he especially hates Intercessors and Christians who pray. Tiredness, mental fatigue, confusion over our minds—these are all assaults satan’s kingdom will use against you when you start pressing into God and begin to pray and fast regularly. 

It’s a good sign because he’s afraid of you! Stand in your authority. Be faithful to the place of prayer, and you will experience a breakthrough.

If you constantly fall asleep while reading the Bible, and it doesn’t happen when you’re reading other stuff, it could be from spiritual warfare. Your heart needs to come alive. If you press through and stick with it long enough (weeks, months, years, decades), your icy heart will melt from the fire of God’s presence. Which, in one way, we experience by meditating on scripture.

Even Jesus Needed To Pray & Be Refreshed

Jesus often sought solitary places to pray. He frequently got up in the early morning and prayed to the Father while it was still dark. He had crowds around him wherever he went. Multitudes of people were seeking to be healed by him; many were. Why was it, then, that through all of this, Jesus often sought solitary places to pray?

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 5:16

It was so he could replenish his virtue and power. He only did something after first seeing the Father do it. It was a relationship. When he prayed, he was refreshed with energy—a fresh anointing. 

And when it was day, he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them

Luke 4:42

The Holy Spirit and angels strengthened him. However, I believe the enemy’s attack on his flesh caused his weariness and tiredness. We see this immediately after his 40-day temptation in the wilderness when angels came to minister to him.

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Mathew 4:11 ESV

Temptation from the enemy in Jesus’ flesh weakened him.

I believe the 40-day fast strengthened him enough in his spirit to overcome the temptation in his flesh. It does say that after 40 day’s Jesus was hungry. My point is that it wasn’t just a physical weariness—there was a level of supernatural (demonic) temptation. He needed to be strengthened.

Jesus Had Human Weakness & Needed Strengthening

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus in the anguish of his soul to the point he sweats drops of blood. Angels were there to strengthen him in this passage, but even amid angelic strengthening, he was in anguish. 

This tells us that it’s possible to be praying God’s will, being strengthened by Angels, and still experiencing discomfort in our soul. Jesus wasn’t simply tired. He was in anguish as he knew he was about to face the cross.

Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. 

Luke 22:43-44

The Disciples Fell Asleep in Jesus’ Worst Hour

Immediately, in the next verse, Jesus finds the disciples sleeping. They were supposed to be praying and keeping watch. But instead, they all knew the dangerous reality of the situation. 

How could they fall asleep during such an important time—while the man they have been following for 3 years is in such anguish a short distance from them? They knew it was important to pray, but they fell asleep anyway.

And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Luke 22:45-46

They fell asleep in the hour of their greatest need for prayer. So much of this was anguish, stress, and sorrow over what was coming. These are human emotions, but I do believe they were fueled by demonic assaults. 

The enemy releases arrow’s against our minds, will, and emotions. He takes advantage of us when we are weak, which was happening here.

If you feel sleepy while reading the Bible or during prayer, this is likely to happen to you on some level. 

The key to a breakthrough is to keep pressing through the tiredness, fatigue, and boredom. Then, finally, there will be a day when it begins to lift. 

Did Jesus Feel Exhaustion When Power Went Out From Him?

We see that when he healed the woman with the issue of blood, that virtue came out of him. I believe that he spent a lot of energy ministering to the needs of so many people and constantly being pulled on. 

At some point, he needed to commune with the Father to be strengthened and poured into through the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus’s time with the Father was the relationship, not intercessory prayer. Where he got refueled.

He had to stay in the anointing—and to do that, he had to spend time alone communing with the Father through the Holy Spirit. So he did everything in relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit—not apart from them. Relationships need to be maintained. 

Similarly, reading the Word and fellowship with the Holy Spirit changes us. It strengthens us and further conforms us to the image of Christ. It further conforms us to Christ’s image. The Bible tells us who we are.

You must spend time with the person you are in a relationship with.

He needed time to be rejuvenated. There was much warfare over him, for sure. But, he needed to maintain his connection with the Holy Spirit and Father.

Feeling Sleepy When Reading Your Bible? Do This:

First, what do I mean by “Bible Reading”? It could be a structured approach like reading through specific books or prayer-reading the Word–reflecting on the passages with the Lord. For some, it could also mean studying for a deeper understanding of the scriptures and providing answers to difficult questions. 

Whatever the activity, Bible reading can help us connect spiritually with God and allow His divine will to take effect in our lives, and the enemy will do what he can to stop us. Whether it be by sleepiness or distractions.

Go on a Short Fast if You Can

If you are tired during Bible study or prayer time, you should press through it as best you can until you get a breakthrough. If you are healthy enough to fast, you might consider a 2 or 3-day water fast—drinking only juice or water. Then, see if the brain fog lifts after the fast.

Of course, only do this if you are in good health and can fast this way. If not, try another type of fast (such as a Daniel Fast). There is power released when we add fasting to our prayers. See if it lifts after a 3 day fast. If you notice a slight improvement afterward, ask God to continue to deliver you from this and maybe consider fasting again.

As we continue to stand steadfast in prayer and in reading the Word. Little by little, you will notice that God restores your soul, mind, will, and emotions—as you develop spiritual disciplines. He slowly (and sometimes quickly) transforms us. Usually, it’s little by little, but he takes us from glory to glory and strength to strength.

Non-Spiritual Causes For Sleepiness During Bible Devotions

• Physical fatigue
• Sitting for long periods
• Poor sleep habits
• Stressful environment
• Poor diet & nutrition

Physical Fatigue

Physical fatigue can be a major factor in making it difficult to concentrate during Bible reading. Sitting for long periods can cause the body to tire easily, leading to less focus and concentration. 

Taking breaks between reading sessions or striving to find quieter places are helpful strategies for minimizing physical fatigue while engaging in Bible study.

Sleep Habits

Additionally, sleep schedules may also have an effect on Bible reading. Poor sleeping patterns can lead to exhaustion, making it much harder to stay focused on Scripture.

Loud or Stressful Environment

Another reason for physical tiredness can be the environment. For example, suppose a person is trying to read their Bible in a noisy or uncomfortable area. In that case, it can become more taxing on the body and make one lose concentration quickly. 

Poor Diet & Nutrition

If you eat a lot of refined sugar, white flour, and processed foods, your diet isn’t helping your mental fatigue. Also, if your diet is high in unhealthy fats and fried food, that could also explain some of your brain fog and lethargy during prayer. 

Tiredness during Bible devotions and prayer is often due to spiritual warfare. Still, of course, other factors also come into play, such as your diet and mental/emotional health.

Conclusion

Hopefully, now, you have some idea of what is causing you to feel tired when you read the Bible. Remember some causes the next time you fall asleep while reading the Bible. Just remember to stick with it and not give up.

A time will come when it’s not dull and comes alive in your heart. You will eventually be energized by God’s word and awakened

for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Ephesians 5:14 ESV