Weariness is Real
What do you do when you feel weary?
Verse of the Day
‘For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” ‘
Today’s Devotional
I love how God works. I just had a conversation with my husband this morning about weariness. We were discussing how to choose to be content in the middle of weariness. And then open my computer to write – and this is the verse that was next on my list. It looks like God has an answer. The answer is HIM.
But…what does that look like in real life terms? As an often-weary traveler, I’m just going to write down some thoughts.
- What I think of as rest, satisfaction and replenishment might be wrong. We probably don’t get filled up by sleeping or watching TV.
- I find true power in journaling. The rawness and authenticity of writing out my heart to God, which I try to always end with praise and trust, tends to settle my spirit.
- Wednesday night I was weary. As I finished my writing for this website, I felt revived. So perhaps obedience can be refreshing.
- Each of us is wired differently. We all know which activities make us feel more rested and whole. Maybe we need to do those things with the expressed purpose of finding God in those things and asking for His replenishing.
- We are commanded to rest. Remember the Sabbath? Commandment #4? How many of us obey that command? The Israelites had to work hard on the days prior to the Sabbath so that they had the freedom to rest. Maybe we need to do that each week.
- Worship. In the middle of the weariness, we need to worship. Because no matter what this life brings or how we feel about it, God is still God and is worthy of my praise.
- Perhaps when we are empty that is the only time we make ourselves available for God to fill. Like in the story of the widow and the multiplication of oil, those containers that she filled were only valuable to her because they were empty vessels. Maybe God does His best miracles in our lives when we are weary.
The commentaries say that this verse, Jeremiah 31:25, point directly to Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Also, Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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.” These are the words of Jesus. How beautiful that Jesus speaks to our weariness. He knows. And He cares. And He wants to fill us with His power. I don’t really know how it works. I know that my perspective has a lot to do with my attitude about it all. I also know that it helps to offer myself some grace because I am a human. A broken, tired human. The Israelites were given this verse during their captivity. They had to hope and trust for the time when Jeremiah’s words would be fulfilled. They had to trust that God would provide and keep His promises. Maybe we need to do the same thing.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
In what areas of your life are you weary?
What would it look like for God to fill you, replenish you, strengthen you?
Which of my “suggestions” do you need to try?
How can you choose, today, to trust that God keeps the promise of Jeremiah 31:25?