The mystery of weariness part II-weariness in religiosity

Background

Mark 2: 18-19

And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

Jesus’s rendition to the scribes and Pharisees, in this scripture, goes forth to show how burdensome acts of religion can be and how even in weariness, we continue religiously in practices that are not effective. Today’s message is further on weariness, we discover what we can do amidst weariness… let’s dive into the Word.

Believers many times cramp under religious acts rather than being honest and open toward issues that lack understanding and every attempt utilized has been futile. Note from the scripture above, as the Pharisees criticized the disciples of Jesus for not fasting, they had depended on their own strength to continue in their futile practices whereas the Savior was amongst them. Jesus’ answer to them in verses 21-22 implied that his course on earth cannot be fitted into earthly traditions and old forms. Now the point of our study is this, we have grown weary of our many spiritual exercises and yet never own up to them and their ineffectiveness, in order for us to come out of this misery here is what we need to realize.

1. We need to be honest in expressing our deepest emotions and thoughts. This is something we can learn even from our God, expressing how we feel in honesty and not blasphemy is not unheard of, the Psalmist and Job are also examples. In Genesis 6:11-12, we see how the corruption of man grieved God, the Father Himself. Yet the Father took actions in the verses further, what we as mortal men can learn from this, are in the points further.
2. Know what works and what does not. In Mathew 17:14-21 when the disciples had tried to cure an afflicted boy, they had tried by all means yet to no avail, Jesus coming into the scene cured him immediately. When they questioned how they could not do it, Jesus indicated a significant solution: ”this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”. What Jesus did here is deemed divine direction, weariness is a signal for the urgency of a miracle; an intervention of the supernatural. The same is seen in Numbers 23, where Balack inclined Balaam to curse the people of Israel, unknown to Him was the everlasting covenant God had with the people of Israel. This goes forth to show that there is sometimes a covenant involved that cannot be broken or a stronghold perhaps that must be dealt with before anything can happen.
3. Weariness is a signal to bring an end to burdensome traditions, religious spiritual activities, and to submission for effective and immediate direction. God is not seeking us to slack in seeking Him, but rather our diligence, our consistency, faithfulness, and most importantly our hearts. We can be lost in spiritual exercises forsaking the state of our hearts. Jeremiah 29:13 you shall seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart the Lord says, 1 Timothy 4: 13 meditate upon these things, give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. There is then an unbending relation between matters of the heart, dedication, and consistency to birth results.
4. When weary ask for a sign, not mundane things but let it be deep. Asking for a sign is not for things such as rain, or some psychological expectation we want to gain satisfaction from, but as seen in Isaiah 7:11. The Lord makes a solemn vow to Ahaz and inclines him to ask to sign;” ask a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in depth or in the height above. Ahaz’s thought was that this would mean tempting the Lord, but not so. The Lord then confirms as seen in our first study of the subject (The mystery of weariness), the weariness of men does not weary God. The Lord Himself then gave him a sign deeper than one can imagine.
5. As last weariness is a signal to go deeper. In Psalm 42, David laments over how downcast his soul was, but in verse 7 he confesses; ”deep calleth unto deep, at the noise of thy waterspouts all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me”. A deep need calls for a deep divine intervention.

Beloved your emotions are not always a matter of the flesh, be sincere and cry out to the God of your salvation, He made you, He formed you and He knows your innermost thoughts. Do no succumb to depression but seek the savior of your soul.