Weariness is one of those words that makes you feel it’s meaning by reading it or saying it. Many or most people with whom you converse today often express feelings of weariness. Let’s face it, our plethora of time saving devices have given more time to fill, which only leads to weariness of mind and body. Before we take a deep dive into the freedom we can find from our weariness, let me define weariness as described in the Oxford English Dictionary: weariness is the state of feeling very tired, especially after working hard for a long period of time, also weariness is the feeling of boredom because you have experienced too much of something.
How can we break free from weariness, from the bondage of feeling tired and/or bored?
Isaiah 40:28–31 (ESV) — 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
The first thing is you consider your Creator. He does not grow weary, and He supplies strength for those who are weary. Just the very thought of the lack of weariness, albeit in Him, can give a sigh of relief but it gets better in that He promises a relief from our weariness as He gives us grace to press on in life. This concept of taking our focus off our own weariness, placing it upon the One Who is never weary, and seeking His help is also expressed by the Lord Jesus Christ as an invitation to freedom from weariness.
Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV) — 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is the epitome of endurance as He took our sins upon Him, dying for our sins upon the cross. Therefore, as a way of being set free from our weariness we turn our attention to Him and consider His endurance on our behalf. And it’s this One, who says to us, “come to Me with your weariness and find relief.”
Hebrews 12:3 (ESV) — 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
The Bible also offers practical advice about weariness, including the admonition to be good time managers, making the best use of our time instead of looking to fill every moment with something as well as being good with prioritizing.
Psalm 90:12 (ESV) — 12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Ephesians 5:15–17 (ESV) — 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 (ESV) — 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
Galatians 6:9 (ESV) — 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Too often weariness sets in because we are trying to burn the candle at both ends, and the saying goes, “we find we’re not as bright as we thought.” Therefore, we need to do less, but to keep from creating additional weariness we need to focus our attention on what is important. God has given us a sound mind that can reason, which means we can say, “no” to things that are not important. Of course, we need His wisdom to which we can apply ourselves to make sure we make the best use of our time. That means we take His word seriously and seek Him every day for help in making the best use of our time.
James 1:5–6 (ESV) — 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
Keep in mind that God is not the author of burnout. On the contrary, He is the One who established the Sabbath to be a regular break from life to focus upon Him and rest. The Lord Jesus Christ is also the One who told His disciples to “come away and rest” when they had been actively ministering for a period.
Exodus 20:8–11 (ESV) — 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Mark 6:31 (ESV) — 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
Are you weary? Come to the Lord Jesus Christ for comfort and rest for your soul. Come to God’s word for instruction in handling life and its labors. Find the freedom from the pile of weariness under which you feel the pressures of life and be willing to submit to God and His word as you apply yourself to Him and His word. In doing so, you will experience the joy of coming out from under the heap called weariness which is a real freedom.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
