Wearied With the Journey
John 4:6
“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.”
One of the things that is encouraging about the Scriptures is that God is not afraid to show us the physical side of Jesus Christ. Though Jesus is the Son of God, and always has been, He also put on robes of flesh to show every person how to successfully live the Christian life.
The verse above says, “Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey,…” Jesus got physically tired just like you do. While doing the will of the Father, Jesus’ body became weary. You must notice that Jesus was not weary with doing God’s will, but He became weary with his physical journey. He got tired, just like you get tired. He was physically worn out, just like you get physically worn out. How he handled the weariness of the journey shows how every Christian should handle themselves when they are weary to keep themselves from becoming weary with the journey of serving God. Let me show you three thoughts about Jesus that will help you when you become weary with the journey.
First, it is normal to become weary in serving the LORD. You must remember that you are in a spiritual war. You are not a bad or wicked person because you become physically weary. I remember as a young man hearing men talk about the little sleep they got as they served the LORD. I thought that I must be very unspiritual because I just couldn’t keep going on the rest I received, and it was more rest than these men. I soon realized that there was nothing wrong with becoming physically weary. You must be careful that you don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are unspiritual because you are physically tired. Everyone has a different physical makeup, and as long as you are not using your weariness as a crutch to not serve the LORD, then it is normal. If Jesus became weary, then you will become weary as well.
Second, you must take time for physical rest to keep yourself from spiritual weariness. There are a few times in the Scriptures when Jesus took time and rested. If you are not careful, you will spiritually kill yourself because you feel guilty every time you take time to rest. Nobody can go nonstop without it eventually breaking them down. If you don’t get rest, your physical or spiritual body will break down. When your physical body breaks down, you will lose your health and the strength to be able to serve the LORD to your capacity. If your spiritual body breaks down, you will most likely succumb to sin’s temptation. You must have time to rest so that you can serve the LORD your entire life.
Third, in your time of rest, continue to help. You will notice that even when Jesus was taking time to rest, His spiritual awareness did not stop. He still helped people as He rested. Isaiah 40:31 teaches that the way to gain strength is to “wait upon the LORD.” Keep your eyes open to witness to people, for nothing will recharge you like winning someone to Christ. Though you’re resting, God will still send someone your way whom you can help to help recharge your spiritual battery. Don’t stop resting your spiritual awareness in times of physical rest.
Your goal in serving the LORD should be to serve Him your entire life. If you are going to be successful at this, you will need to take some time to rest. Don’t run yourself into the ground and wish you would have listened. God knows you will get weary with the journey. So, when you become weary, follow the Saviour’s example of resting, yet waiting.