When Your WAIT Becomes Your WEIGHT

Chapter 12

Persevere

I love a particular lesson God taught me in His Word a couple of years ago. John 4 tells us about Jesus talking to a woman at the well. Verses 4-6 are most impactful to me. As the Scripture states, “Now He (Jesus) had to go through Samaria. So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.”

There is a specific phrase in verse 6, and a specific word within that phrase, that God has allowed to be of great encouragement to me. Read it below and see what jumps out at you:

“…and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey…”

You may have just finished reading that phrase and are now thinking to yourself, “What’s the big deal about those words? What does that have to do with anything, especially about waiting?” Allow me to share what God has spoken to my heart about them. It’s been life changing to me.

First of all, we are made aware that Jesus was tired. He had been on a long journey. He was traveling from Judea to Galilee which is about 70 miles. Jesus went through Samaria on His way to Galilee. The distance from Judea to Samaria is estimated to be a walking journey of 5-6 hours. That’s quite a long hike by foot. This Bible passage confirms that we are not the only ones who have experience tiredness. Jesus experienced it as well. Don’t you just love the fact that our Savior and Lord experienced human life, emotions, and feelings just like we do now? Isn’t it a relief to know that He can relate to us in every area of our lives? I’m so thankful that He knows we get tired. He knows what it feels like. He knows there are times when we need a break. He knows just how we feel in our tired state right now, dear friends. He sees, He knows, and He cares about us every step of the way. That alone should be of great encouragement to us.

Second, we are told that Jesus was tired from the journey. It does not say Jesus was tired of the journey. Wow, that’s been a tremendous eye-opener for me! There have been times in my Christian life when I’ve allowed my mind to think, “I’m sick of this Christian walk. I’m tired of it. I just can’t go on like this anymore.” Can you relate? Do you ever feel like being a Christian just isn’t worth it anymore?

Ever since God revealed this passage to me, the Holy Spirit has given me a complete new outlook on my Christian life. Looking back, I’ve realized that I’m not sick and tired of my walk with God. I’m simply tired from the hardships, difficulties, trials, and disappointments that come my way as I journey with God. And one of those difficulties can be waiting. It’s exhausting. It seems unbearable at times. It can give me a false sense of hopelessness. But if God is allowing us to experience it, then it’s necessary for our good and for God’s glory. If it’s necessary, then we must ask ourselves a question, “What will we do while we wait?” A more important question to ask is, “What did Jesus do while he waited?”

This brings us to the final point I wanted to share with you about this passage in John 4. We are told at the end of verse 6 that Jesus “sat down by the well” when He was tired from the journey. Though Christ was sitting by a physical well of water, we as Christians are to sit by the spiritual well of water to get a drink from the Living Water. In Jeremiah 2:13, God tells us that He Himself is the spring of Living Water.

John 1:1 reminds us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word of God is our well that God intends for His children to thirst from. He desires that we long to take a drink from His Living Word to refresh our souls, give us strength, and encourage us to carry on the journey He has set before us. God reminds us that we will get tired from the journey. Specifically, this means that we will get tired from waiting for long periods of time in this life. But He also reminds us that we don’t have to get tired of the journey, or of the wait. Remember, He sees, He knows, and He cares about every aspect of your life.

When we get tired of something, we typically want out. We’re either fed up with it or we’re at our wits end ready to give up. We’ve had it. Enough is enough. Can you relate? However, when we’re tired from something, it simply means we’re exhausted, weary, or worn. We need to take a break but we’re not giving up. We know we need to get refreshed so we can continue on and persevere with the task at hand.

Think of people who run marathons. They’ve got a 26.2-mile race before them. Though they’ve trained, the journey will still be strenuous on their bodies. After the first several miles, many of them may become physically, mentally, or emotionally exhausted. They may want to give up, but their eyes are on the finish line and they’ve trained far too hard to quit now. As they run past the aid stations, they douse themselves with bottles of water and persevere. Though they’re tired from the journey, they’re not tired of the journey. This is what they’ve been called to do. They’re determined to continue on. Their mission isn’t over yet. Not until they cross the finish line.