The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out.

Proverbs 30:1

When was the last time you felt completely spent? Had you just completed a marathon? Cleared six inches of snow off your three-car driveway and corner-lot sidewalk? Stayed up all night caring for a newborn baby, a sick spouse or an elderly parent? Wrestled your way through a thorny patch in a difficult relationship? Too exhaust-ed – physically or mentally – to take another step or make one more decision?

That’s where the writer of this verse in Proverbs finds himself. He repeats his declaration to God: “I am weary!” As if he has no strength left to even describe his circumstance or ask for help.

In the verses that follow, this worn-out man seems to have reached exhaustion in his effort to be like God, or to understand God. “…I am too stupid to be a man … I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One … Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name?”

By verse 5, he points us to the source of the rest he (and we) seek: Jesus. “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

Refuge. That safe place where we can lay down our burdens and rest. Truly rest – not just a catnap or 15-minute break before we return to our tasks or challenges, but the kind of rest found only in God; the same one who leads us beside still waters and restores our souls.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for all the experiences You give us in this life, even the ones that leave us weary. Help us to see the worn-out ones around us and extend our hand to help them and lead them to You, the only source of true rest.

Daily Reading: Proverbs 13

– Contributed by Tracy Dunn