HOPE IN THE HARD PLACE OF WEARINESS (4 OF 4)
by Joe Alain
Scripture: Isaiah 40:27-31
This content is part of a series.
Hope in the Hard Place of Weariness (4 of 4)
Series: Hope in the Hard Places
Joe Alain
Isaiah 40:27-31
There is a weariness that we might describe as a good weariness. It's the kind of being tired that comes as a result of some accomplishment. You're tired but you're satisfied. For example, you work out and you're tired, but it feels good because you know you've accomplished something. You play hard and you become tired but it's a good kind of tired, a rewarding type of weariness.
But then there is a soul-weariness that is draining and anything but satisfying. It's the kind of weariness of the soul that weighs you down. You're tired spiritually, you become burned out, you get tired of fighting the spiritual battle that is going on the inside, you become weary of fighting the good fight of faith. When that happens, we give up and we give in to living a lesser life than God intends for us.
The people described by Isaiah in our text today were soul-weary and had lost hope. Last week when we were looking at Jeremiah, the Babylonian captivity was still in its early period, but now the people have been in Babylon for about 50 years. They have built houses and settled down, they have married and had sons and daughters, they have sought to make a difference in Babylon. But now they are becoming weary and they are wondering, "how much longer?" The people feel that God has abandoned them, that he has hid himself from them, that their cause has been disregarded by the LORD. Their weariness has come about from their waiting and not seeing God move.
The effect of the Babylonian captivity was demoralizing to the people. It's great to be told that the LORD is enthroned somewhere in heaven (cf. 40:22) or that he is the creator and ruler of the stars (cf. 40:26). But what they (and us too) desperately needed to know was whether the LORD was able to help them and whether he cared to have anything more to do with them. The long years of captivity and foreign rule h ...
Series: Hope in the Hard Places
Joe Alain
Isaiah 40:27-31
There is a weariness that we might describe as a good weariness. It's the kind of being tired that comes as a result of some accomplishment. You're tired but you're satisfied. For example, you work out and you're tired, but it feels good because you know you've accomplished something. You play hard and you become tired but it's a good kind of tired, a rewarding type of weariness.
But then there is a soul-weariness that is draining and anything but satisfying. It's the kind of weariness of the soul that weighs you down. You're tired spiritually, you become burned out, you get tired of fighting the spiritual battle that is going on the inside, you become weary of fighting the good fight of faith. When that happens, we give up and we give in to living a lesser life than God intends for us.
The people described by Isaiah in our text today were soul-weary and had lost hope. Last week when we were looking at Jeremiah, the Babylonian captivity was still in its early period, but now the people have been in Babylon for about 50 years. They have built houses and settled down, they have married and had sons and daughters, they have sought to make a difference in Babylon. But now they are becoming weary and they are wondering, "how much longer?" The people feel that God has abandoned them, that he has hid himself from them, that their cause has been disregarded by the LORD. Their weariness has come about from their waiting and not seeing God move.
The effect of the Babylonian captivity was demoralizing to the people. It's great to be told that the LORD is enthroned somewhere in heaven (cf. 40:22) or that he is the creator and ruler of the stars (cf. 40:26). But what they (and us too) desperately needed to know was whether the LORD was able to help them and whether he cared to have anything more to do with them. The long years of captivity and foreign rule h ...
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