Running on Empty: Refilling Your Spirit at the Low Points of Life

by Jill Briscoe

Feeling burned out? Unfulfilled? Drained? Jill Briscoe offers hope and comfort for those times in life when we feel empty and tired. She draws lessons from Bible characters who often felt the same Leah was ugly and unloved, Hannah found midlife depressing and barren, the Prodigal Son ended up in a pigsty. With wit and candor, Briscoe provides spiritual refreshment and renewal when we are running on empty.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction

167 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2013

About the author

Jill Briscoe has an active speaking and writing ministry that has taken her to many countries. She has written more than 40 books, including study guides, devotional material, poetry, and children's books.

Jill is executive editor of Just Between Us , a magazine of encouragement for ministry wives and women in leadership. She serves on the board of World Relief and Christianity Today, Inc.

A native of Liverpool, England, Jill launched into youth evangelism after becoming a Christian at age 18. She married her husband, Stuart, in 1958, and since then they have ministered together through Telling the Truth media ministries at conferences and mission organizations around the world. They reside in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Stuart completed 30 years of ministry as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church. Both Stuart and Jill now serve Elmbrook as ministers-at-large. They have 3 children, David, Judy, and Peter, and enjoy the blessing of 13 grandchildren.

Jill and Stuart call suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin their home. When they are not traveling, they spend time with their three children, David, Judy and Peter, and thirteen grandchildren.

Reviews

[Faith Spinks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me at work and given to me. With all the busyness of my job and all the travel involved – especially intense the last few months I felt like I was running on empty myself so I hoped that this book might offer me some encouragement, insight and wisdom for moving beyond that feeling.

The book is broken down in to 10 chapters with each one dealing with a different reason for running on empty, each through the life of a different Bible ‘great’. For example Elijah, who after standing up to all the prophets of Baal and demonstrating God’s power finds himself under the broom tree wanting to die; Hannah, living with broken dreams; Martha, too busy and feeling like she is doing it all alone; and even Moses, who led the people out of Egypt only to become overwhelmed in leading the people and dealing with their many problems alone. With each chapter being well rounded and nicely self-contained, dealing with one Biblical example and one reason for feeling ready to break, you could easily use the book as a go to book for certain chapters.

Not surprisingly I found some chapters more impactful than others – either because they related more to my current stresses and strains or simply because they were looking at the lives of people whose stories in the Bible I like or relate to better. But I also felt that some of the chapters didn’t really go deep enough. They were long enough to introduce you to a topic and give you a few thinking points. But for some of them at the point of feeling like I’m running on empty already they weren’t enough to help me feel able to refill and revive my spirit based on them. But then, the book isn’t trying to be an in-depth study on any one of these persons or struggles. What it does it does well and I know that in reading it I have been encouraged in places, and challenged to seek after God more in other places.

[John Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find this book particularly helpful. What Briscoe does is she writes about certain causes of spiritual/emotional depression, such as burnout, rejection, and people problems. Then she picks out a biblical character who dealt with those issues and teaches how they handled it and what God might be saying to us through them. If you are not experiencing, right now, that particular problem, you might find each chapter interesting as biblical scholarship and nothing more. There's nothing in here to help you prepare for running on empty, to prevent running on empty, or generally how to live if you are running on empty. Just some basic advice on particular problems.

[Terri Wangard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of people in the Bible struggled, feeling like failures. Jill Briscoe offers snapshots of ten. I especially liked Hannah (broken dreams), Martha (busyness), and Habakkuk (suffering). This book offers refreshment for the drained soul.

[Morgan M]

At about this point in the summer at camp, it’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling burnt out. Grateful for this book at this time of my season and the reminders of the different characters in the Bible that endured through burn out.

[Sharon C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reread from maybe 25 years ago. Started over the Christmas holidays, just straightforward, Bible focussed and challenging. It’s not a self-help book in any way and may not resonate with 2025 readers but I was helped and blessed by it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about different people in the Bible with problems and how they dealt with them.

Great book. Great author.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, sincere study on Bible characters at the low points of their lives, and how God refilled their spirits. Some of the issues encountered include burnout, rejection, sin, broken dreams, disobedience, rebellion, busyness, people problems, loss, and suffering. Not lengthy, not shallow.

[Cassandra]

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