Meditating on Exhaustion
The weary mom of young children, the fatigued father working long hours to provide for his family, the strained student faced with constant deadlines, the worn-out nurse on a 24+ hour shift, the tired farmer up all night with a sick animal, the young person with daily physical or mental challenges, the older person whose body is worn out but who has to keep going somehow.
Does it all seem relentless and meaningless? Days are endless with work. Nights may not always render refreshment, and then we awake to meet the same demands and exhaustion.
Remembering that all things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), what is so good about exhaustion? Today I read a devotional about exhaustion from Teri Ong’s Prayer Therapy Book, Chambers College Press. She references the Israelites’ exhausting burdens caused by the demands of Pharaoh, “Do more, do more, do more!! And I will also force you to do more all on your own! You will not have resources to help you fill your quota of bricks!! Work, work, work!!” What cruelty!! How utterly impossible to meet this extreme demand!! What unmitigated exhaustion!! What a hopeless situation!! Well did the Israelites cry out for relief!!
My friend, this is exactly the hopeless situation we are in when we try to meet the exhausting demands of the Law. The Law, rightly so, says “Do more, do more!! You are required to fulfill every aspect of my demands!! Though you do not have the resources to fulfill my commands, you must still satisfy my every word, or else you will die!!” How exhausting. How hopeless. How impossible. Well do we to cry out for relief!!
Believer, your physical exhaustion may be there to remind you that Jesus has fulfilled the demands of the law for you. In His 33 years of life on this earth, Jesus exhausted Himself in perfectly obeying the law. He sweated out his labor of love in the hot streets of Jerusalem and in the cool garden of Gethsemane. He toiled for you on the splintered cross of agony and shame. All this so He could say to you, “Come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Praise God for our own exhaustion if it reminds us of Jesus’ great exhausting work for us and for our salvation!
Unbeliever, if you are weary and heavy laden in trying to make things right with God through your own works and efforts to fulfill the law of God, you are like the Israelites seeking to serve the cruel taskmaster who demanded that they make thousands of bricks but who did not provide a way for them to do that. The Israelites were truly stuck in a hopeless situation, and so are you. You absolutely cannot fulfill the demands of the law. But Jesus absolutely can and absolutely did. He is the way. Seek Him. Seek His saving work and His forgiving mercy.
Once we understand that Jesus has done the truly, and agonizingly exhaustive work for us, then what?
Live for Him in thankfulness. This means seeking to obey His Word, not to earn salvation, but to show thankfulness.
But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; Titus 3:5
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Galatians 2:16
May each of you rejoice and rest in the saving work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and then live for Him, with thankful obedience.
Mrs. Mary Brown, Principal