Weary, Weak, Woeful, Worried

Ok, who can admit that the emojis made you click on this? I know it wasn’t the excitement of words like weary or woeful because when we hear those words, most of us immediately think of situations in the natural like the list below.

• The tired and overworked mom and dad who try to juggle the tug of war of kids, school, home and work.
• The person who is sick of being sick and in pain, and others have best of intentions; still no one really understands.
• The parent of a teenager who isn’t making good choices, some with minor consequences some with major.
• The parent who hasn’t spoken to their adult child in months and constantly wonders where they are at and if they’re ok.
• The grandparent who sees the impact of divorce on their grandchildren.
• The spouse whose insecurities rise as their wife/husband is on the phone/computer a little too much.
• The friend you love and cherish, but something happened, and now you haven’t spoken in weeks.

Those are just examples, and the irony is that each “W” word may apply to each scenario.

• Weary– without strength, endurance, or spiritual resources
• Weak– frail, not able to sustain; not able to resist external force or withstand attack
• Woeful– grievous, express grief or regret
• Worried– to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping, especially at the throat; mentally troubled or concerned, feeling anxiety

Who hasn’t felt one or more of these? It would truly be a miracle if in this temporary natural world, anyone raised their hand. The reason we think of these in the natural is because they only exist here. There will be none of these in the glory of God’s eternal kingdom.

God knew what this world would bring. He knew that we would have situations where we would feel weary, weak, woeful, and worried. He knew we would need warnings, instruction, encouragement, and guidance. Thankfully scriptures offer a way to navigate through.

Scripture warns us.

Trouble will come.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Trouble happens to everyone.

“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” Job 14:1

Be on guard.

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, rash,  conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Scripture instruct us with what to do.

Call out to Him.

“In the day when I called out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.” Psalm 138:3

Follow in His steps.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21

Don’t look like the world.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

What’s even more special is that God offers encouragement.

His power.

“He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundary between day and night. The foundations of heaven tremble; they shudder at his rebuke. By his power the sea grew calm. By his skill he crushed the great sea monster. His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent. These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?””

Job 26:10-14

His peace.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

His promise.

“Those who read the words of this prophecy and who hear it and take to heart what is written in it will be blessed.” Revelation 1:3

For anyone who is feeling weary, weak, woeful, or worried, reread those scriptures, try to hear, feel and believe the truth in them and know you’re not alone. Be on guard for the enemy too, if we’re hearing any of these lies, “it’s just you, no one else feels this way,” or “no one wants to hear a whiner” or “don’t trust them when your problems.” Stand firm in the truth that the Lord is with us, and let’s also be brave, be willing to share with our inner circle. It’s ok to say, “I’m feeling the W’s.” Allow them to speak the Lord’s word into our lives, we may be surprised at the reassurance and encouragement and truthfully relatability we can offer one another.

And just maybe we’ll turn our emoji use into one of these… 

Lord, You are so good! Thank you for your Word, for equipping us with warnings, instruction, encouragement, and guidance for what this world brings. May we show one other grace, never fully knowing what’s happening in the details of someone’s life. When we feel stuck in the weary, weakness, woe-fullness, or worry of this world, may we hear Your truth and know that we are not alone. Lord, thank you for the precious people in our lives that lift, inspire, comfort, and pray for us. In Jesus Name. Amen.

This weeks playlist:

Feeling Low

Will Reagan

Know

Jeremy Riddle

We Win

Mercy Me