When the World Makes You Weary
Most of us know what it feels like to be tired in a way that goes beyond needing sleep. There are seasons when life presses in on every side — work, family responsibilities, illness, unexpected crises, or simply the weight of “one thing after another.” As Pastor Richard opened this week’s message, he reminded us of a truth we often forget:
Everyone grows weary.
Not just some of us. Not just the “busy” people. Not just those carrying extraordinary burdens. All of us.
To ground us, he began with Psalm 103:1–5:
“Praise the Lord, my soul… who forgives all your sins… who redeems your life from the pit… who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Even in weariness, God is present, active, and working for our good.
But what do we do when the world makes us weary?
Pastor Richard offered four gentle, necessary reminders:
1. Remember that God is in control — even when it doesn’t look like it
Being weary does not mean God has stepped back. And while God does not cause every hardship we experience, He walks with us through every storm.
Pastor Richard shared Dr. Cherry’s story — a devastating loss that forced him to decide:
Did God cause tragedy, or would God carry him through it?
He chose the latter. And that choice changed everything.
Like Joseph sold into slavery… like the disciples in the storm…
God does not abandon us in chaos.
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength… they will soar on wings like eagles.” (Isa. 40:31)
2. Be honest with God about your feelings
God already knows your fears, frustrations, and discouragement — and He invites you to bring them into the open.
When David hid his guilt, he said:
“My bones wasted away.” (Ps. 32:3)
Healing began when honesty began.
Pastor Richard shared the story of a boy who hid the pieces of a broken vase until guilt consumed him. When he finally confessed, his mother said:
“I can’t help you fix what you won’t show me.”
God says the same to us.
Honesty becomes the doorway to spiritual renewal.
3. Find your oasis
Every person needs moments, spaces, and people that replenish the soul. There are things that drain us — and things that refuel us. God Himself modeled this when He rested on the seventh day (Ex. 31:16–17).
Your oasis might be:
a walk in silence
prayer
scripture
music
nature
time with life-giving friends
a day without screens
worship
journaling
Pastor Richard warned that many people live life like drivers who pass the last rest stop for 100 miles because “I think I can make it.”
“We think we can go farther than the gas we have.”
Don’t wait until burnout hits. Choose rest before exhaustion chooses you.
4. Invest in relationships — both giving and receiving
We all know people who drain us… and people who refresh us.
Paul wrote that Titus’ spirit was “refreshed by all of you.” (2 Cor. 7:13)
We are invited to:
seek people who renew our spirit
become people who renew others
This is part of being a church family — receiving encouragement and offering it.
We each have 86,400 seconds per day.
Some of those seconds are meant to be shared.
A Final Word: God Meets Us in Our Weariness
Pastor Richard closed by reminding us that even Jesus experienced weariness. Ministry exhausted Him. People demanded things of Him. Life pressed in on Him.
And if it happened to Him…
it will certainly happen to us.
But we do not walk through our weary moments alone.
God renews.
God restores.
God refreshes.
And God surrounds us with a community to lift us up.
May these truths encourage you this week.
May you find your oasis.
May you open your heart honestly before God.
May you invest in relationships that give life.
And may you know — deep in your soul —
that when the world makes you weary, God is your strength.