How to Sustain the Weary

I’ve been preparing a sermon from the 50^th chapter of Isaiah. As I have been reading and rereading this wonderful chapter in God’s Word, this phrase jumped out at me, “how to sustain the weary.” Here it is with a little more context:

The Lord GOD has given me the tongue

 of those who are instructed to know

 how to sustain the weary

 with a word.

 He awakens me each morning;

he awakens my ear to listen like those being instructed.

The Lord GOD has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious; I did not turn back.

I gave my back to those who beat me,

and my cheeks to those who tore out my beard.

 I did not hide my face from scorn and spitting.

The Lord GOD will help me;

therefore I have not been humiliated;

 therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know I will not be put to shame.

(Isaiah 50:4-7 CSB17)

I thought, “What an important topic!” There are a lot of weary people in this world. More specifically, there are a lot of weary Christians. We want to follow Jesus and serve God and we are trying, but at the same time we often feel worn out. We feel worn out not only from working hard, but from all the opposition, evil, and suffering in this dark world. In a world like ours, we need to know “how to sustain the weary.” We need to help each other to keep pressing on and encourage one another to not give up and not give in.

In the passage above, Isaiah is speaking prophetically in the first person on behalf of “the Servant.” While some aspects of the servant could apply to Isaiah himself, when all the servant passages are take together, it becomes clear that they point ahead to the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus is the suffering servant Who is also the King of Kings.

So, these verses apply to Jesus. But we are called to follow the example of Christ (John 13:15, 1 Corinthians 11:1, 1 Peter 2:21). One way in which we are to follow Christ is that we are called to “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

The passage in Isaiah reminds us of two ways in which we can help sustain the weary.

With a Word

The first way we sustain the weary is with words. But not just any words. What the weary need are words from God. The whole Bible is full of words that are designed to give us endurance, encouragement, and hope:

For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction,

 so that we may have hope

 through endurance and through the encouragement

 from the Scriptures.

(Rom. 15:4 CSB17)

While all of Scripture has this encouraging, strengthening purpose, some portions seem to be especially powerful and effective to meet our needs when we are weary. Isaiah chapters 40-66 is one such section. It is full of encouraging promises and uplifting words of encouragement. But God may choose to use any passage of Scripture to help a weary follower of Christ press on.

In order to help one another with encouraging words of Scripture, we need to have our hearts and minds full of God’s Word. If we begin each morning listening to instruction from God’s Word as we spend some time praying, reading, and thinking about the Bible, then we will be better prepared to minister to a weary brother or sister in Christ.

By Example

The text we began with from Isaiah 50 describes some of the sufferings of Christ. Although Jesus faced intense opposition, constant threats and plots to kill him, and eventually the cross, He “did not turn back” (Isaiah 50:5). The example of Jesus gives us courage to keep pressing on when we are weary of the battle.

While the example of Christ is by far the greatest example, we also gain strength from the example of other Christians around us who faithfully persevere though difficult trials. And when we ourselves persevere, we become examples that God can use to “sustain the weary.”

. . . and you yourselves

 became imitators of us and of the Lord when,

 in spite of severe persecution,

 you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.

As a result, you became an example

 to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

(1 Thess. 1:6-7 CSB17)

Conclusion

We all become weary in fighting the good fight and serving the Lord. We all face difficulties and opposition. We need encouragement. We need people who know “how to sustain the weary with a word.” We will be able to do this best when we are taking time to listen to God through His Word. By soaking in His Word, we will be ready to help others along the way. We can help the weary with some Holy Spirit empowered words that remind us of His promises and faithfulness. We can also encourage others by our example of persevering in the face of difficulties.

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .