Pandemics, wars, politics, broken families, death, sickness, and division – the list is painfully endless. It’s no wonder that weariness is common and something the human race has become way too familiar with. Every day, we witness the downward spiral of sin and its impact on our world. Yet, perhaps our tiny sphere of life was sovereignly fashioned to be more of a crucible than a paradise. A vessel used to refine and purify and designed to be a place of transformation, where the heat of challenges and hardships work to create something beautiful, valuable, and gloriously eternal. As Christians, this is the hope that we have. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the promises of 2 Corinthians 4, we can actively wage war on weariness.
Summer, with all its beauty, is drawing to a close, and autumn is knocking at the door. The air is changing, and you can sense it, see it, and feel it. Changing seasons always brings me an anomaly of emotions. I love and crave the enveloping warmth and life of summer. Somehow, every year, the coming of autumn and winter brings me feelings of anxiety. Maybe it is the busyness of the approaching holiday season and the materialism surrounding it. Or how the created world around us sleeps, hibernating itself away from winter’s cold. I sure wish I could!
Life’s Seasons and Our Walks with God
The transition of seasons can often be related to the various stages we, as Christians, can experience in our lives on Earth. Many chapters of the stories we are living are precious and sweet. Full of beauty and wonder. In them, we can easily identify with the green pastures and quiet waters that Psalm 23 discusses. Others can be sorrowful. Those are the chapters that weigh on us. They change us and naturally burden daily life with a weariness that can be incredibly tempting to give into. If you are finding yourself in this place, come along with me as we explore 2 Corinthians 4 and how we are able to wage war on weariness with the hope of heaven.
Wage War on Weariness: The Treasure We Have
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay…” 2 Corinthians 4:7
No one wants to lose hope and remain in a constant state of weariness. Most of us desire to experience a daily renewal of heart and mind. I know I do! Nothing compares to the feelings of restored hope, strength, and joy. This encourages us to face another day and fills our hearts with a sense of peace. Yet so often, this desire becomes a far-fetched dream when the burdens of life begin to compound.
Ancient people stored precious items like scrolls, important documents, and expensive perfumes in clay jars. Knowing that, isn’t it beautiful that Paul refers to us as such? Masterfully crafted, unique…and incredibly fragile. This is how we begin our lives. Then life happens. Sin and its effects rear their ugly heads. Our “jars” become scuffed, cracked, and possibly even shattered. We feel empty and exhausted and want to be whole.
Then, like dawn breaking forth, the power of God meets us. Our eyes are opened, and we are made into new creations with eternal salvation secured. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the dividing wall of hostility has been broken down, never to return. We are now whole and have this priceless treasure of knowing God’s glory through faith in Christ, which is kept in the fragile hearts and souls of you and me. What a gift that can transcend the weariest of days.
Wage War on Weariness: The Power Within
“…to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7
So now we know we have this treasure within us. Now what? Our circumstances are still the same. Life is still heavy. Sorrow may remain. I love what Elisabeth Elliot says: “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” The treasure we have in Christ is the power we need to withstand the storms of life. This power is not just any power, but it is all-surpassing power. The Greek meaning of the word all-surpassing means to “throw beyond.” It is an athletic term. If you and I were competing to throw a javelin, we would only be able to throw so far. Our power is limited. But if God shows up to the game, His power will be unlimited. Unmeasurable.
When weariness is relentless, take heart. The power that God wants to work in us is so far beyond anything we could accomplish on our own. He will arm us with the strength and power needed to daily take up our cross, even when the weight of it seems impossible to carry.
Wage War on Weariness: Never Forsaken
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
A difficult reality to comprehend is the fact that we still live in a broken world despite the incredible news of the Gospel. As I have mentioned before, most of the time, our circumstances do not change. Every now and then, we hear stories of miraculous intervention on behalf of someone or something. And those are the ones that leave us completely in awe of who God is! They remind us that, yes, “God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3 ESV) But for the ones who find themselves currently afflicted, exhausted, and weary, there is a God who will NEVER forsake you. No matter how excruciating life can be, He will never turn his back on those who seek him.
Most people who are in the midst of trials read Psalm 23 and greatly desire those green pastures and quiet waters to be their reality. But one thing the Lord has taught me repeatedly over this past year is that it is quite possible for our green pastures and quiet waters to be present right in the middle of suffering, not necessarily outside of it. They can be found in the steadfast tranquility of the Father’s heart, who will never stop doing good to His beloved children.
Do Not Lose Heart
If the storms you face are fierce, and weariness is gripping your soul, once again, take heart! He will not leave us crushed, despairing, persecuted, struck down, or destroyed.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
An eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison? WOW. There are no words to grasp the depths of what this statement means for us as children of God! This world and all the heartbreak it holds? It is the closest to hell we will ever get. All of the good and glorious things that are powerfully being done in our hearts in the middle of hardship are achieving something so marvelous we cannot even begin to comprehend it.
“Heaven is not here; it’s there. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.”
-Elisabeth Elliot
Thank you for joining me on the blog today! If you’re interested in reading more biblical encouragement, I pray this post would be that for you!
Allison – So well written. Tonight is our last service at church about PTSD! It has been wonderful and your post fits in with so much of what we have been learning! I love the first quote by Elisabeth Elliot – “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” Our Hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ not in “changed circumstances”! Love that thought! Clinging on to the true hope is what gets us through daily life! Thank you so much for your writings!!
Thank you so very much Janet. It’s so encouraging to know that you were able to connect with it. Elisabeth Elliot is one of my favorite authors!