Don't Let Weariness Turn to Selfishness

Let your weariness lead you to a deeper humility.

In my previous two Moms in Hiding posts —

Flawless Words for Flawed People &
Words for the Weary —

I looked to the wisdom of Proverbs 30, Agur’s Oracle. After writing those posts, and reading through the proverb multiple times, I realized that Agur’s approach to God is a truly humble one. Evaluate some of Proverbs 30 with me: How high do these verses score on the “humili-meter”?

_{*To read Proverbs 30 in it’s entirety, click here.}

Agur’s Approach? Humility

Weary, Worn Out, & Not Enough

“The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.”
Proverbs 30:1 (ESV)

Humili-meter: Agur is praying to God. Instead of declaring that he has it all together, that he is enough, or that he is only weary because it’s someone else’s fault, Agur admits he is weary and worn out. This is not typical of wisdom writings!

Admit to God that you are weary and worn out! He already knows. If in your weariness you realize you are not enough, that you even feel you have come to the end of yourself, so much the better! You are not enough. I am not enough. God is the only One who has the enough we desperately need, and His enough is more than enough.

Father God,

I am weary; I am weary and worn out. 
I am not enough on my own. 
I need You, Lord.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Admit It then Submit It

There are different reasons for weariness, as we all know. Jeremiah 9:5 speaks of a weariness that comes from “committing iniquity,” yet those who do good are also prone to weariness (Galatians 6:9-10; II Thess. 3:13). Sometimes we find ourselves in wearying surroundings, “as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). We may blame advancing age for our increasing weariness; however, Isaiah 40:30 says “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted.” Weariness is a fact of life. Whatever the cause, there is only One helper & healer to Whom we should call, turn, & crawl when we’re weary: God the Father.

The first step is admitting to Him you are weary and worn out. I know — part of us wants to tell/complain to our friends or family or Facebook group or Sunday school class, at least if we think we can get some sympathy, and especially if we can get someone to agree with us that we just need to pamper ourselves, or get someone else to watch our kids this weekend, or stop volunteering for a while (especially for church stuff). Hmm. I have done all of the above, and they’re not bad things in and of themselves. What’s bad is when I forego talking to God about my weariness, and, you know, actually asking Him what I should do about it.

When I decide I’ve figured out a cure for my weariness, there is pride in that. I’m acting like Ms. Independent instead of what I truly am in Christ: a desperately dependent daughter.

Father God,

I surrender my situation to You.
You know why I am weary; You know what I should do about it.
Lead me in Your will, Your way.
May I find counsel in Your Word so I can make wise choices.
If anyone speaks into my life about this,
may I be able to discern whether or not their counsel is of You.
I don't want to pretend I am anything other than desperately dependent upon You.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Not Smart Enough

“Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.”
Proverbs 30:2-3 (ESV)

Humili-meter: Agur not only confesses his weariness but his stupidity! Instead of, “I know,” or “I understand,” or “I don’t know it all, but I have grown in wisdom,” or “at least I have some knowledge of God,” Agur flat out says he is not smart enough to be considered human.

Compared to God, we are all too stupid. Fact! We don’t even know enough to do a good job of being human. Proverbs 20:24 tells us “A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can a man understand his way?” Jeremiah 10:23 goes further: “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” We don’t have the proper perspective to guide our own lives. We walkers are walking; the ones walking can only clearly see the step we’re on (and sometimes that’s not even clear to us!).

Father God,

I don't understand enough, well enough.
I have not learned enough wisdom.
I don't know You well enough, either.
I need You, Lord.
In Christ, by Your Spirit,
I pray I will grow in understanding,
wisdom, and knowledge of You.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Not Powerful Enough

“Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
… gathered the wind in His fists?
… wrapped up the waters in a garment?
… established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?
Surely you know!”
Proverbs 30:4 (ESV)

Humili-meter: It may have bothered you, as it bothered me, that Agur said he was too stupid even to be human in v.2. I think these verses clear it up: Everyone is too stupid to understand the God who is the Answer to Agur’s questions in v.4.

No human can be as wise as God; no human can completely know the Holy One — except His Son. And even if we had far greater understanding, wisdom, & knowledge than we currently do, we lack the power to use it to take control of our own lives! God not only has all of the above x infinity, He is love. We can trust Him completely in His power; we can entrust ourselves completely to His power. “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to You, O LORD, belongs steadfast love. For You will render to a man according to his work,” (Psalm 62:11-12).

Father God,

You have the understanding, wisdom, knowledge,
and power to control my life.
Since You are love, steadfast love,
I can trust You with my life.
Lord, I entrust myself completely to Your power.
I am weary and worn out;
Thy will be done in and through my life.
Lead me as You see fit. I'll follow.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

My pants have been on fire.

“Every word of God proves true;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you
and you be found a liar.”
Proverbs 30:5-6 (ESV)

Humili-meter: God does not lie; humans do. We have all been liar-liars with our pants on fire. Agur acknowledges the human temptation not only to lie but to add to what God has said. There is nothing any person can add to God’s words to improve upon them!

I have lied. I have also tried to use and manipulate God’s word to prove myself right about something. Why did I feel the need to prove myself right? I wanted to use my right-ness as a shield. That is not how it works!!! God is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

I don’t need to take “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13) out of context to try to protect myself from feeling weak and like I can’t do enough. As we’ve already established, I can’t do enough on my own! Guess what? I am also weak! But that’s OK. God is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. All that weak, not-enough Alicia has to do is take refuge in her all-powerful, more-than-enough God. And I can trust Him for that, because “every word of God proves true.”

_{*For more about the context of Philippians 4:13, click here: What Encouragement Is… and Is Not}

Father God,

You've never lied; I have.
I am thankful Your every word proves true!
May I take refuge in You,
especially when I am weary.
You are the only shield
powerful enough & perfect enough
to protect me.
May I never try to add to Your words.
If I do, may Your Spirit rebuke me with haste.
"Guide me in Your truth & teach me,
for You are God my Savior,
& my hope is in You all day long,"
(Psalm 25:5, NIV).

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

A Hard Prayer to Pray

“Two things I ask of You;
deny them not to me before I die.
Remove far from me falsehood & lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny You
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.”
Proverbs 30:7-9 (ESV)

Humili-meter: Apparently Agur was not only acknowledging the human temptation to lie, but also his own. He asks God to “remove far from me falsehood and lying.” I think most of us would be comfortable praying that. His next request, however, does not roll off the tongue:

“Give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me…”

Don’t give me riches?
Just feed me what I need?
That sounds like crazy talk!

Actually, it sounds like humility.

Don’t Let Weariness Turn to Selfishness