"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9
Some verses in the Bible I read and wonder why God chose to include those words in His magnificent Love Letter/Instruction Manual/Sword/Lamp/Best Book Ever Written a.k.a the Bible. It is not that I doubt His sovereignty or supreme knowledge; I just either do not understand the verse or do not grasp its significance in my life at that time. The above verse is in NO way one of those verses. I do not have to ask the Lord about His reasoning in including this scripture in His Word and await His faithful response. If you are anything like me, you know the answer and do not have to tie up the God-lines with that question either: Galatians 6:9 is there to encourage us not to give up, because it is often monstrously easy to want to do so!
I don't know about you, but I frequently become sick and tired (my version of "weary") of not only doing good, but trying to do good. My intention is not to shock or offend anyone with that statement, but I feel I need to be honest about my struggles in order to grow in Christ myself and hopefully help others to as well. Some of that sick and tired comes from the times we live in, some from lack of spiritual maturity, some from good ol' impatience, some from listening to the devil's Chatty Cathy self too much, some from stressful situations…you get the idea.
Like those times when….
-There is near constant conflict with someone I know despite my best efforts to pray about it, respond to them in a godly way, and tip-toe around the land mines of drama they lay out.
-I get avalanche-style reports of bad news on top of bad news on top of bad news.
-A situation I have prayed about for years seems no closer to being resolved than when I started praying about it.
-Something seems to go wrong with everything I touch in the same 24 hours.
(Disclaimer: I make no claim to being nice all the time, holy half of the time, or perfect anytime. The above examples are simply some of my own personal triggers for weariness. Everyone has their own, and it is quite possible that I am part of someone else's, though I hope not.)
Those are some of the times when I become not only weary, but reach the level red danger zone of giving up. And no one is more excited by that or spurred on by that than Satan himself. So he shows up for a chat…usually when I am at my most tired, my most frustrated…the point where I can almost physically feel my brain bursting with the thoughts that are threatening to head south and out of my mouth. He chimes in with something like, "Why are you wasting your time trying to do good or be good? Where is that getting you? That person still doesn't like you, the bad news is still coming, that situation is still unresolved, and you are still messing up so much. You are not doing any good, and you certainly are not being good. Remember what you said yesterday? Remember what you thought about this situation last night? Would a "good" person say or think that? Why don't you just give up on all that praying, Bible, Jesus stuff? It's so much easier than what you're doing….and it's not like your situation could get much worse anyway."
Oh, he is good at his job alright…LYING. Spinning half-truths into whole lies. "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible" gives this explanation of the word "weary" in Galatians 6:9: "to be (bad or) weak, i.e. (by implication) to fail (in heart):--faint, be weary." That is exactly the theme running through my example of a Satan-speech above: "You are weak. You have failed in heart. Give up this doing good business, and be bad for a while…or at least kick back and be lazy."
(Note: Please do not misunderstand my quotations of the verse's words "doing good" or use of my own like "being good". This is not about trying to be a "good little boy or girl" or works of the flesh or any of that jazz apart from Christ that gets us nowhere even when we have nothing but the best intentions about it. This is about seeking to do good for God and His Kingdom through His power, according to His instruction, and with bucket loads of His guidance and help.)
Just when the devil has me almost ready to bench my Bible, retire my praying knees, and sit out every game God calls me to play in, I remember something (by God's reminder, not coincidence). There have been times when I became weary and gave up (however temporarily), times when I did quit trying to do good and did my share of bad. Get this: AND THOSE TIMES WERE NOT EASY. Life did not magically turn into a Kay's Jewelry commercial where problems do not exist and diamonds are the size of your fist. In fact, I was quite miserable without the closeness to God I enjoyed when I was seeking to do His will, however imperfectly, and the blessings and anointing that came from it.
So, there, Satan. Doing good IS tough. It IS something that requires patience, endurance, and Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. It IS often easy to want to give up on. BUT IT IS WORTH IT. And God Himself through the words of the apostle Paul says that "…at the proper time we WILL reap a harvest if we do not give up." So, I won't…not permanently. You may succeed in convincing me to momentarily at times, but I have read the Book, and I know Who wins in the end. I am on His side, weary or not.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for the reminder in Your Word not to grow weary in doing good, the encouragement not to give up. Thank You for knowing how hard it is to follow that advice and loving us even when we get it wrong. Please strengthen us against growing weary and giving up. Help us to draw close to You for encouragement, refreshment of spirit, endurance to keep on fighting the good fight. Thank You that You supply all of our needs, and we need not worry about how to defeat the devil and his tactics of lies, discouragement, and defeat. You have given us the tools for victory in Jesus; help us to use them, oh, Lord, In Jesus's name I pray, Amen
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