Psalm 69:3 “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.”

There are many places in Scripture that speak of this topic of weariness. Sometimes in Scripture, reference is made to the people of God as those who are weary. Sometimes, because of our many failures and shortcomings, the Lord mentions that we weary him. Also, there is a need to consider texts that comfort and encourage the weary, and to exhort them to live out lives of obedience because of God’s unfailing love shown through his constant acts of mercy for them. We can see clearly that this is a rather broad topic, and I hope that it can be covered in two articles. For this first article regarding the topic of weariness, I plan to write about God’s people as those who are weary.

First of all, we consider the people of God as the “weary ones.” This can be taken from different perspectives. There are three primary ways that God’s people can become weary in well-doing. These ways include the believer’s devotional life, his battle against the enemies of God, and the struggle with his own sinful flesh.

Consider this topic of weariness in regard to the devotional life of the believer. There are many texts in the Scriptures that speak concerning the matter of God’s people becoming weary. Isaiah 43:22 says, “But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.” This verse refers specifically to our lives of constant devotion to God. It can take a large amount of time out of our already busy schedules to spend even a few hours a day meditating on the Word and praying to the Father. We can easily view a life of constant devotion to God as a never ending chore, and we eventually lose interest in spending our time pursuing the heavenly things.

Our text deals more specifically with our struggle with sin, and our battle against our spiritual foes. Sometimes, God’s people become weary because of a constant assault upon them by their adversaries. Often, those outside of the church of Christ as she is manifested on Earth pressure the saints to join them in their rebellion against God, and to pursue a life of covetousness. They question God’s knowledge and strive to get the saints to deny their faith, and to doubt God’s love for them. If the onslaught from those outside isn’t troublesome enough, there are the foes within the church that can often put pressure on the people of God.

Often, a believer can become troubled and weary in a daily struggle against his sinful flesh. Our own sins weary us, so that much time in this life is spent with sorrow and regret. In the consciousness of our sins and misery, we “groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). We long for the day when we will experience full and complete deliverance from our sins.

Psalm 6 speaks more of this aspect of weariness with regard to the guilt and sorrow a child of God experiences when he falls into sin, and the fear brought upon his soul because of his spiritual foes. He asks that the Lord will help him and not rebuke him in anger. He realizes how weak and frail he is, and the guilt presses on him so hard that his bones are vexed. The weeping and groaning makes him weary. The pain is so strong that tears pour down, and his eye is consumed with grief. Those who say things like “men don’t cry” are void of understanding. Real men pray that God will make them cry when they feel that they have lost that ability. He desires to cry in genuine sorrow for sin. He desires to cry real tears of joy when he hears that his wicked deeds, and the evil motives of his heart, are forgiven only for the sake of the passion and death of his Savior.
Often, we become weary because we forget that we are equipped with the Spirit of the Lord. Micah 3:8 says, “But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.” This is one aspect of how the Spirit moves in the life of the believer. God places his Spirit in his people for rebuking and edifying his church. Also, Christ sends the Spirit as the Comforter to comfort and sustain the weary. This is recorded as “a word in season” in Isaiah 50:4. We, with the prophet Isaiah, testify that “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” (Isaiah 50:4). Since we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us walk in that Spirit, and look for opportunities to “lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” (Hebrews 12:12).

My next article, Lord willing, will consider this topic of weariness from the aspect of “Wearying God.” In the meantime, the readers are encouraged to read through the Psalms in their daily devotions to capture more of an understanding of this weary life, and the comfort that these “wearied ones” receive as the Spirit unfolds the Word of Life to comfort and sustain the elect in times of adversity.