The first summer in this house, my mom and I dug our hands into the small garden between the front and back steps. Weeds grew and jammed their way throughout the garden, choking out or hiding all of the vibrant flowers the previous owner had planted. We pulled up weeds and rearranged flowers under the hot sun while every type of bug and fly swarmed around us. Afterwards, we wiped the sweat from our brows and scrubbed dirt from under our fingernails.
Within days, I noticed new weeds poking through the dirt. I didn’t think much of it; I pulled them out and moved on. But they kept growing. They expanded. They fought to take over my garden again.
The next summer, I stared at my garden in disgust. All the literal blood and sweat my mother and I shed over this little garden appeared to be in vain. The garden was in the same state as it was the year before, when I moved in. In my lack of experience, I believed that once weeds were hauled out, I wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.
As you look around at the current state of the church, your heart may sink in a similar way. Despite your efforts to prepare theologically rich and engaging small group Bible studies, you see your students turning to fluffier ones with incorrect doctrines mixed in. Regardless of how often you warn about the trending false teachings in the church, still more people are reading the “theologians” and “teachers” who propagate those very doctrines. Even after the many conversations you’ve had with your friends, they still don’t understand why you’re concerned about the elements of worship (they might even suggest you’re overreacting).
Are you tired? Exhausted? At a loss for words? Weary? Perhaps you’re not only exhausted but fed up with the circling conversations and the hateful replies you get. You’re crushed from being condemned for holding fast to the gospel. You’re tired of the eye-rolling and the chuckles that happen whenever you begin to tell someone the dangers of false doctrine. You just want to be spoken to kindly and taken seriously.
Not Alone in Our Weariness
Elijah felt the same grieved exhaustion. His ministry was focused on calling out the corrupt kings of Israel and how they had led the Israelites to worship false gods. He felt so discouraged and afraid (they were seeking his life, after all) that he ran away, hid in a cave, and sank into what some may call a suicidal depression (1 Kings 18–19). Jeremiah, likewise, wanted to stop prophesying and wished he had never been born because of the persecution it brought on him (Jer. 20:14–18). The psalmist envied the wicked because they didn’t seem to have any troubles like the rest of mankind (Ps. 73). We’re not alone in our weariness, grief, and discouragement.
But these men of God didn’t stay in that place, and we know we can’t either. How do we press on in the face of such exhaustion—of both heart and mind? We begin by considering the promises and character of our God as our Good Shepherd.
Rest and Trust in God to Change Hearts
Perhaps some of your exhaustion and anxiety is because you’ve taken on the burden that it’s up to you to change your friends’ hearts. While it’s a righteous desire, if we lose sight of who does the work of change, it can become exhausting work. And rightly so, because it is an impossible task. God alone can cause darkened hearts to see. As Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7–8).
As we do our work of watering and planting, we need to remember that we are not omnipotent like God. Perhaps our weariness is literal exhaustion. When Elijah was depressed and exhausted from his ministry of calling out the wicked leaders in Israel, God didn’t tell him to get up and get back to it. He gave him food. He gave him sleep. He spoke comforting words over him. You have the same needs he did, and our Good Shepherd will supply them. Take the time you need to recover—both physically and spiritually—and trust God with the results of your planting and watering as he gives opportunity.
Look for Fellow Believers
When Elijah brought his troubles to God, he declared, “the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:14). Yet God replied, “I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (v. 18).
Our work can feel lonely, like we’re among the few (or perhaps the only) seeing concerns within the evangelical world. It’s hard to watch people who went to Bible college with us, people who we grew up with in church, or even close friends, reject historic Christianity or choose a lesser gospel. It grieves us. Like Elijah, we may complain to God that we’re the only ones left.
But God promises that he will not leave this world without a witness and testimony to his good news. Though false teaching may abound, people who know and love the truth will always abound, too. Go and find those people and encourage one another in the good work of teaching God’s Word rightly—because they’re likely weary too.
Remember That God Will Be Glorified
In all things, God will be glorified. We don’t need to fret and worry over his glory. As God said to the psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps. 46:10). Remember that in the end, every knee will bow before him (Phil. 2:10). Instead, we can continue in our ordinary work of loving one another, teaching one another right doctrine, and warning against false teachers in a sustainable, restful way. And when we lose heart and become discouraged (as all believers are prone to do), we remind ourselves of the gospel we likewise need daily.
When my kids get a little bigger, I will get down on my hands and knees again to dig the weeds out of my garden. It won’t be pleasant. I may not enjoy it much. But I trust God will cause the growth of beautiful flowers yet again. And he will be glorified in that, too.
