Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28, NIV).
Weary. What a word.
I have read Scripture mentioning weariness for as long as I can remember. But what does that word actually mean? Merriam-Webster defines it as “exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness.”
I define it as “nothing left.”
In short, to experience weariness is to be without strength or will. It isn’t just being tired, sad, or depressed. And unfortunately, it isn’t something that can be cured with caffeine or a good long nap. No, it is the feeling one has when they’ve given all they can … and it is one of the hardest roads to walk.
Last week, I spent some time with my 11- year- old sister. Before I knew it, she had run through my front door and yelled, “Alexa, play ‘My Jesus’ by Anne Wilson.” Truthfully, I wasn’t in the mood to hear “Jesus music” or to have visitors – but I found myself with both.
She proudly sang the first verse. It goes like this:
Are you past the point of weary
Is your burden weighing heavy
Is it all too much to carry
Let me tell you ‘bout my Jesus.
I giggled. The child is a singer, but I didn’t realize her ministerial capabilities until then.
As I heard her belting the lyrics, I knew she had no clue about the weight of the first stanza. Briefly, I imagined what it was like to be young and innocent again. You know, the days when the most significant concern you had was shoving down all of your veggies at dinner.
How nice must it be not to deal with the stress of things such as marriage, health, time management, finances, and then some.
Instead, at times, we face the crippling thief – weariness. It robs us of rest, joy, strength, and time with those we love most. Sometimes, it makes us feel like a fish out of water – gasping for air. And just when we think we’ve got life put back together, a blow from nowhere takes us down for the count. For some of us – myself included – we don’t always think about tapping into the power of the Lord first.
As the Psalmist said in Psalm 69:3,
I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
As he clearly points out, it’s hard to do much of anything while battling this weakness. Tears replace laughter and weakness ensues. Frankly, it’s tough to wait for the One who can fix it all during moments of strife. And if we’re not careful, we slip into an entitlement mode saying things such as “I follow You, Lord! Why is it happening?”
So much so that it can consume us.
But it isn’t new.
According to Bible Gateway, the English Standard Version (ESV) mentions “weary” in more than 40 instances. From Exodus to Revelation, Scripture reveals biblical heroes who faced weariness but overcame it.
So can we.
Often, we must come to the end of ourselves to truly meet the Master. When we see that our strength is frail, we realize how mighty He is.
As Matthew 11:29-30 says,
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
The answer to weariness is simple – rest. But the only way we can achieve it is through casting our cares on Him.
