We're All Still a Little Weary

Saturday - September 18th

Scripture to Read Today: Isaiah 40:25-31

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Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary;

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Whenever I think of weariness, I think of the Coyote in the Looney Tunes cartoon shorts about Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (beep-beep). The Coyote chases the Road Runner endlessly. He uses all kinds of devices (mainly from the ACME company) to catch the elusive bird. No matter how much he tries, he never does - but he always seems to be so close each time.

Watch enough episodes of the classic cartoon and you can see the weariness on the Coyote's face. You often see it when he has sped off a cliff and is stopped mid-air, knowing he is about to fall. He looks down at his plight ahead (then sometimes back at the distant cliff edge he has left behind), and then he looks at you--the viewer--with a sheepish, worn out, fatalistic look. Sometimes he pulls out a sign that reads "Help!" and holds it up just before his rapid fall begins.

At several points in each Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner cartoon, you can see the weariness on the face of the Coyote. He is tired. He is worn out.

As we continue to wrestle with the COVID pandemic and the back and forth of regulations, many are still very weary. You can hear it in their voices and see it on their faces. They live on the edge of fighting or fleeing with every relationship, conversation, disagreement, and stress point. They don't want to live in this space. But, it is where they are as they find their way through a lack of control of their lives, others disagreeing with them, and experiencing social isolation.

How weary are you?

Some of us are still very weary. In many ways, we're all, at least, a little weary after the last 18 months. We all can harm those closest to us and not even realize we have. Our weariness affects our families, friends, and co-workers. When I feel it, it feels like my emotions are raw - right at the surface. They can easily be stirred by the most minor actions of others or a passing word others never intended to use to harm me.

One of my favorite passages addresses the idea of being worn out, tired, and weary in life. Isaiah 40:25-31 speaks of Who our God is and what we do when we feel like the justice we deserve escapes His notice. The first part of the passage encourages us to step back and take in an extensive view of our Creator. The last few verses of the passage speak about how that same Creator and Sustainer of the universe gives His strength to the weary and His power to the weak.

The passage points out that even teenagers and young men grow tired, weary, stumble, and even fall. We are indeed frail beings. The strongest and most vibrant among us run out of energy, drive, and stamina. We all need God's infusion of power eventually. That transfer of strength and power to us in our weariness and weakness comes only as we put our hope in our God. The promise given in Isaiah 40:31 is one of the most precious in all of the Bible. "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Read verses Isaiah 40:30-31 several times to yourself today. Maybe even memorize it.

We're all still a little weary. We need a fresh glimpse of God. As we rest our hope in Him, He encourages and empowers us!