A popular Christian song reads: “Are you weary, are you heavy laden? Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.” Yes, we can simply say that this is the answer to a weary soul. “Tell it to Jesus. He is a Friend that’s well known.”
What does the word “weary” mean? As an adjective it means physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, or strain. It can also be used as verb to describe the act of making another weary.
People can also become weary when they are discouraged or depressed. Just performing the normal duties of life can become monotonous for them. In order to perform their basic duties is a major undertaking. People without hope, without God, often can become very weary of life.
WEARY OF WHAT?
I am sure we have all had times in our lives when we have been weary. Ask yourself what it is that makes you weary. After a full day of hard labour some can be physically exhausted and weary. After a full day of Bible studies and canvassing you can be mentally exhausted and this can result in weariness. What is the solution? Although the song states, “tell it to Jesus,” the solution is as Jesus said, “Come ye apart and rest awhile.” Mark 6:31. It is a change in activity. The physically exhausted needs physical rest. The mentally exhausted needs mental rest which is often in the form of physical activity.
WEARY OF SIN
Can someone be weary of sin? In church as we sang the song, “Flee as a bird to your mountain,” the following words then struck me, “Thou who art weary of sin.” Then I thought, how many people are really weary of sin? Many people love their sin, but dislike the consequences. They love to be intemperate, but hate the poor health that follows. The results are disagreeable. Many Christians love the world, but fear Hell Fire. They are not weary of sin, but the consequences of sin.
King David was truly weary of sin when he prayed. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit.” Psalm 51:10, 12. Esau, Cain and Judas Iscariot became weary of the consequences, not the sin itself.
In Jeremiah’s day, people not only deceived their enemies but their friends. Their ability to do evil only wearied them. They could not trust anyone anymore. “And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.” Jeremiah 9:5
Yes, sin causes weariness, “the people shall weary themselves for very vanity.” Habakkuk 2:13. “The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” Ecclesiastes 10:15. “She hath wearied herself with lies. . . .” Ezekiel 24:12. Habitual lying is wearying. Ask those who have been in the habit of it.
Sin does not bring peace and lasting happiness. The end result is separation from God—weariness.
WEARY OF LIFE
Many in the world have become weary of life itself. Life on this earth offers little hope for the future. This has led many to end their lives in suicide. In Christ we are not offered much on this earth, but we do have the hope of an ever present Saviour and the hope of eternal life. Still, God’s messengers at times have become weary of life on this earth.
Elijah was one such person when “he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life.” 1 Kings 19:4. The Lord said “no.” He provided food and said, “Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.” 1 Kings 19:7. Elijah obeyed and stood steadfast to the end of his sojourn on this earth.
King David became weary of life. He stated, “I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.” Psalm 6:6. David was so weary of life he could not sleep at night. He wept over his sufferings. Not only physical pain, but mental anguish had exhausted him. And again, he found strength and solace in the Lord.
Job was weary of life. Seemingly forsaken of heaven and earth, yet holding fast his faith in God and his consciousness of integrity, in anguish and perplexity he cried, “My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; show me wherefore Thou contendest with me.” Job 10:1–2. But Job held on by faith and was rewarded. “According to his faith, so was it unto Job. . . . So it came to pass. By his patient endurance he vindicated his own character, and thus the character of Him whose representative he was. And ‘the Lord turned the captivity of Job. . . . also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. . . . So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.’ Job 42:10–12.” –Education, p. 156
WEARY OF CORRECTION
Some people become very weary of correction and therefore Solomon wisely stated, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction.” Proverbs 3:11. When the chastening comes, some people permit themselves to be driven farther away from God, because they think that He is cruel or indifferent. How far from the truth this is. Verse 12 tells us that “For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth: even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” “Remember that hardships and trials are a part of the Christian legacy. Christ, the Majesty of heaven, came to our world to show us how to bear the world’s rebuffs without fainting or without retaliation. Every trial borne wisely will be a blessing to those who have them. They will lift up, but not cast down. Those who are continually seeking to shirk the hard and stony places but are seeking an easier path, a pleasanter way, will ever meet with disappointment and adversity. But if they brace the soul for trial and for duty, march forward bravely in God, they will find the path of self-denial and self-sacrifice will lead to honor and heavenly riches in the future, immortal life. . . . Pray much and exercise living faith, and you will surely sing the song of victory.” –The Upward Look, p. 139
WEARY OF WAITING
Many people are impatient and become weary of waiting. The most deadly impatience is on the part of those Christians that become weary of waiting for Jesus coming, and are described as such, “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming.” What do they end up doing? A person in this situation is described as to “begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken.” Matthew 24:48–49. Being unconverted, and attempting to live a Christian life is toilsome. It is very wearying. Many give up from the long delay. It is too difficult to continue to live a Christian life without Christ.
JEREMIAH BECAME WEARY WHEN HE DID NOT DO GOD’S WILL
“Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” Jeremiah 20:9. His sense of frustration led Jeremiah to feel that his only recourse was to refrain from carrying out his commission as God’s spokesman. However, he could not stand it. It wearied him to not do God’s will as was required of him. “So strong was the opposition against Jeremiah’s message, so often was he derided and mocked, that he said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name.’ Thus it has ever been. Because of the bitterness, hatred, and opposition manifested against the word of God spoken in reproof, many other messengers of God have decided to do as Jeremiah decided. But what did this prophet of the Lord do after his decision? Try as much as he would, he could not hold his peace. As soon as he came into the assemblies of the people, he found that the Spirit of the Lord was stronger than he was. The record is: ‘His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. ’” –SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1156
SISERA—WEARY AND FELL ASLEEP
Although Sisera was an enemy of Israel, we can learn a lesson from his life. (Judges 4:13–24). “Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.” Judges 4:21. Sisera was physically weary and went to sleep in the tent of someone he thought was a friend. However, giving into his weariness and falling asleep cost him his life. In our spiritual warfare and struggle, we must not allow ourselves to give in to our weariness and fall asleep spiritually. The Devil never sleeps and is “as a roaring lion. . . seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. He will pounce on us and destroy us. Do not give up, “but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22. Don’t pause in the Christian race. Keep on going, gaining strength from above.
BE NOT WEARY IN WELL DOING
There is something we must not ever become weary of and Paul counseled the believers in several of his writings not to be weary in well doing. Why? Is there danger of people becoming weary of well doing?
If so, then why? Did Moses become weary in well-doing? Yes, he did, because he kept doing good, and all the Israelites did was murmur. There will be many who do not appreciate the good works you do and so this counsel is given. There is a book of remembrance written. God has it all written down. We do not need to promote our good deeds. They are all done through the power of Christ anyhow, so we have nothing of which to glory of ourselves.
Yes, God’s servants do become weary. “Those who are placed in the highest positions may be led astray, especially if they feel there is no danger. The wisest err; the strongest grow weary.” –The Signs of the Times, July 28, 1881
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9. Although we do, Christians should never become weary of bearing the “burdens” of their fellow men. Such service, prompted by love, never becomes monotonous. Christ is our perfect example and He never wearied to help others in need. Often it has happened in the Christian warfare that some soldiers of the cross have fainted and given up the struggle. Overcome with temptation or disheartened in the way, they have turned wearily from their duties. Although the service of the Christian is prompted by love, there is still a reward promised at the end of time; at the harvest, when every man will receive the reward of the seed they have sown.
“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13. Paul encouraged the believers never to become weary of well-doing from pressures whether they come from within or without. The fact that there are some who look to the church only for the “loaves and the fishes,” should not dry up the springs of Christian generosity. The church members need the blessing that comes from helping the poor. It is a privilege to share temporal blessings with those less fortunate. “Do not wait to be told your duty. Open your eyes and see who are around you; make yourselves acquainted with the helpless, afflicted, and needy. Hide not yourselves from them, and seek not to shut out their needs.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 29
DOES GOD BECOME WEARY?
While He does not become physically weary from overwork, He does become emotionally weary. This weariness comes from hurt; from unfulfilled expectations. He has given so much for His children and yet many do not appreciate what He has done or is doing. He becomes weary—sad. “Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread M courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto M; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts M soul hateth: they are a trouble unto M; I am weary to bear them.” Isaiah 1:10–14. These people were outwardly religious. They engaged in the ceremonies of religion because they thought in this way to earn the favour of God. But the Lord informed them that He was highly displeased with their course of action—He hated the observance of their appointed feasts, He rejected their worship, and resented their hypocritical pretense. They were actually defying God by refusing to walk in His ways, and no cloak of religious formalism could cover their sins. “And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?” Isaiah 7:13
“Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” Malachi 2:17 Divine patience does have an end. God bears long with the complaining and discontent of His people. The prosperity and glory that ancient Israel hoped would be theirs did not arrive, and so they questioned the justice and holiness of God, and even the certainty of the future judgment.
They became weary of waiting for God to do what they wanted Him to do, and the Lord became weary of their lack of trust in His leading. “But thou hast not called upon Me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of Me, O Israel. Thou hast not brought Me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured Me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. Thou hast bought Me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled Me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities.” Isaiah 43:22–24. Some become weary of their religious duties. The Lord’s requirements were never meant to be burdensome. In fact, what the Lord requires of His people was for their benefit, not His. He had not ordained the ritual law for His good, but for theirs, in order that they might understand the way of salvation more perfectly. Because man sinned, Christ must leave heaven and live life on this earth as the only way for our redemption. It is our sins that caused the King of Glory to become a servant among men. God’s requirements are reasonable, and for the good of men, but they had been unwilling to do their part. It makes God utterly weary to see their hypocritical pretense at worship. Many Christians today also have a hypocritical form of worship. Ask yourself, “do I?”
HELP FOR THE WEARY
“For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” Jeremiah 31:25. The Lord promises strength, peace and contentment for the weary travelers who walk in the ways of righteousness.
“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28–31. One of the most magnificent sights in the wild is an eagle soaring in the sky, higher and higher, with seemingly little effort. Similarly, the child of God who draws his strength from above is enabled to go ever onward and upward, always reaching new heights of achievement. Day after day it is the privilege of the Christian to go on from grace to grace and from victory to victory. Strength is added to strength, and progress is constant. Higher and still higher goals come into view, and eventually the Christian attains to the goal set before him.
While Jesus is truly the one who is of real help to the weary, He has His under-shepherds to assist Him with the work. You and I are called to help the weary souls that we see around us. “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” Isaiah 50:4 “Some with whom you are brought in contact may be rough and uncourteous, but do not, because of this, be less courteous yourself. He who wishes to preserve his own self-respect must be careful not to wound needlessly the self-respect of others. This rule should be sacredly observed toward the dullest, the most blundering. What God intends to do with these apparently unpromising ones, you do not know. He has in the past accepted persons no more promising or attractive to do a great work for Him. His Spirit, moving upon the heart, has roused every faculty to vigorous action. The Lord saw in these rough, unhewn stones precious material, which would stand the test of storm and heat and pressure. God does not see as man sees. He does not judge from appearances, but searches the heart and judges righteously.” –Gospel Workers, p. 122–123
“CONSIDER HIM”
“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Hebrews 12:3. A glance at the burdens Christ bore will make our burdens seem light in comparison. If we will only look to Jesus and consider what He endured, every difficulty and disappointment we meet will be easier to bear. “The anguish that sin has brought was poured into the bosom of the Sinless; yet while Christ endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself, He was paying the debt for sinful man and breaking the bondage in which humanity had been held. Every pang of anguish, every insult, was working out the deliverance of the race.” –Prophets and Kings, p. 701
GAIN STRENGTH TODAY FOR TOMORROW’S TRIALS
Many of us are familiar with the prophecies in the book of Revelation. When we consider the people of God and what will happen in the near future when the world is in opposition to them, how will they stand? “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5. If we neglect the minor tasks of life today, how can we undertake the greater responsibilities tomorrow? If we succumb to the smaller temptations today, how can we overcome in the greater crises of life tomorrow? If we cannot endure the lesser troubles of life today, how can we withstand the terrible tribulations that will yet come upon us tomorrow? And, if we fail to meet the situations of the present day with faith and trust, how will we be able to stand the almost overmastering delusions that will come upon us in the “time of trouble”? The truth is that we will not be able to stand. We will become weary.
“Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.” Isaiah 57:10. Yes, hope and life are in Christ. Although the way may look great, Christ has stated, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5. Therefore, “we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear.” Hebrews 13:6
IN CONCLUSION
“See the weary traveler toiling over the hot sands of the desert, with no shelter to protect him from the rays of a tropical sun. His water supply fails, and he has nothing to slake his burning thirst. His tongue becomes swollen; he staggers like a drunken man. Visions of home and friends pass before his mind, as he believes himself ready to perish in the terrible desert. Suddenly those in advance send forth a shout of joy. In the distance, looming up out of the dreary, sandy waste, is a palm tree, green and flourishing. Hope quickens his pulses. That which gives vigor and freshness to the palm tree, will cool the fevered pulses, and give life to those who are perishing with thirst.
“As the palm tree, drawing nourishment from fountains of living water, is green and flourishing in the midst of the desert, so the Christian may draw rich supplies of grace from the fountain of God’s love, and may guide weary souls, that are full of unrest and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to those waters of which they may drink, and live. The Christian is ever pointing his fellow-men to Jesus, who invites, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.’ This fountain never fails us; we may draw, and draw again.” –The Signs of the Times, June 26, 1884
The spiritual traveler is weary of life on this earth; weary of sin, but he accepts the help and correction of the Lord. This brings him new life. The journey is long and difficult. “We are to do all that we can do on our part to fight the good fight of faith. We are to wrestle, to labor, to strive, to agonize to enter in at the strait gate. We are to set the Lord ever before us. With clean hands, with pure hearts, we are to seek to honor God in all our ways. Help has been provided for us in Him who is mighty to save. The spirit of truth and light will quicken and renew us by its mysterious workings; for all our spiritual improvement comes from God, not from ourselves. The true worker will have divine power to aid him, but the idler will not be sustained by the Spirit of God.” –Faith and Works, p. 48
May God help us to find rest from our weariness in Him and go on from strength to strength in the battle of life. AMEN.
Wendy Eaton