How many times do we think we can manage life on our own, without God? We may not be actively thinking, "I don't need You, God," but by not seeking His direction and His will, we are, in effect, saying just that. It is so easy to get caught up in the trap of thinking that our problems are too small to take to God. Our needs are not worthy of bothering God with them. We struggle with life unnecessarily when we don't take our problems to God.
Falling Deeper into Sin
We sometimes fall deeper into sin when we fail to call on God. Again, we may not be telling God, "I don't care what you think; I just want to keep doing what I am doing," but our actions say otherwise. A person began going out on the weekends with friends. At first, she drank just a little, but gradually it became more and more until she realized one day that she had developed a serious drinking problem. We probably all know someone who has fallen deeper into sin because they failed to call on God.
We know if we acknowledge our sin to God that He will forgive us if we turn from that sin (1 John 1:9). If we seek forgiveness, all the while knowing that we don't intend to stop doing a sin, then God knows we’re only saying sorry with our words, not meaning it in our hearts. We're not truly repenting. Repentance means turning away from sin.
Are You Growing Weary of God?
In Isaiah 43:22, God pleads with His unfaithful people and tells them:
“But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel."
Have we also grown "weary" of God? Another way to ask it might be, "Have we grown bored with God?" To remain faithful we need to know that our strength comes from Him (Psalm 18:2).
Sometimes we may feel like we just can't keep going to church—We're too tired, too busy, or we don’t want to give up our weekend fun, because God wants us to get up early on our day off.
We may grow weary of giving—We're in a bind financially and don't want to give to our church or those in need. We're working all the time and have no time to serve others. Or we sometimes think, "God just expects too much of us."
Sometimes we become weary of praying—We feel like we pray and see no immediate results. We may grow tired of praying because we feel like our prayers don't go 'higher than the ceiling' as we say.
We may feel burdened by trying to be perfect (which by the way is impossible)—Maybe we want to just let it all out, maybe we feel like saying what we really think. It could be that we're tired of fighting a temptation and just want to give into it. Maybe we think God couldn't possibly forgive us for something we have done.
It may happen that we grow tired of reading and trying to understand the Bible—We don't have a lot of time so we just skim over passages, then not understanding them, we give up. Or we fail to pray and ask God for understanding, so we give up, thinking we will never understand. Perhaps we think to ourselves that we've heard a story a hundred times, so we stop paying attention to deeper meanings that God may have for us.
Do You Feel Burdened by Following God?
Following God should not be a burden. He tells us to lay our burdens on Him and promises us rest (Matthew 11:28-30). When we carry a heavy load, Jesus is there to share the burden. As Proverbs 14:14 reminds us:
"The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above."
A backslider is someone who has rejected God in favor of what they want or like. Are we satisfied from above, or is our heart simply filled with our own ways? Is this why we feel weary of following God? Has our focus shifted from Him to ourselves? When we focus on ourselves, God’s commands can feel burdensome because they won’t satisfy our selfish desires. True satisfaction comes from being obedient out of our love for God, not from seeking to please ourselves.
God’s Desire for Righteousness
The Lord tells us we are blessed when we hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). God wants to fill us with His love and peace but we are often too distracted or too full of pride to ask Him for what we need. We think we can handle it all alone. Whether it is a sin that we need to stop doing or a tragedy we are dealing with, too many times we view God as our last resort.
To live a blessed and fulfilled life, it is God's righteousness we need. We know when we call on Him with all of our hearts He will answer (Jeremiah 29:12-13). It is the Holy Spirit working in us that helps us to become righteous. This is His promise and He is a faithful Father.
The Call to Repentance
What should we do when we feel weary of God? Galatians 6:9 tells us not to grow weary of doing good. Isaiah 3:9-10 tell us that backsliders have brought evil on themselves but it shall be well with the righteous. In Isaiah 43:24, we read that it is God who is burdened with our sin and iniquity! Yet, in the very next verse, God tells Israel and Judah that it is He who will blot out their transgression and forget their sins if they call on Him. Our Father is always merciful, but if they do not repent, judgment will come upon them. We are also called to repentance. Like a hiker going down the wrong trail and becoming hopelessly lost, we can turn back and find our way with God's help. He is like a compass for our life and His word is our map.
God’s Promise of Redemption
God does not end on this tragic note of judgment. He continues in the next chapter, Isaiah 44, to tell His beloved chosen people that there will come a time when He will pour out His Spirit on them. He will bless them and their children. He declares Himself to be their Redeemer and promises a future deliverer.
Christ, Our Redeemer
Thanks be to God that we know who our Redeemer and Deliverer is! Our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom we owe everything. We pray that we do not forget to call on our Savior and that we never grow weary of Him. And if in our weakness we do forget to call on Him, or we do grow weary of Him, then we seek His Face, call on Him, and ask for forgiveness knowing that He is all merciful and loving.
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