What to do in Weariness

Based on Numbers 11-13

"Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me." Numbers 11:12‭-‬14.

At this point in the journey, God's people were growing a bit restless & weary. They were tired of the manna (bread from Heaven, provided by God), and they wanted meat to eat. They became unthankful, and so of course they turned to Moses to complain. As we've seen, this is nothing new. The people once had no water, complained to Moses, and they received it. That's a lot of pressure on a leader! And Moses was starting to feel it. Even the beginning of the chapter opened with an issue:

"And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched." Numbers 11:1‭-‬2.

We are all going to get weary & restless sometimes. Even doing something we love can get tiring. But we need to put into practice a restraint from complaint! Every time we feel like complaining to God or those in charge, demanding change, we should pray instead! In prayer, we can EXPECT change! And that change usually starts with our change of heart.

So, the weariness of the people became more than Moses could bear, so God took Moses' great burden & spread it among other leaders of the tribes as well:

"And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone." Numbers 11:17.

God did not remove Moses' burden though! He was called to that position! But he was not called to more than he could handle, and neither are we! Weariness is not part of the equation. We are never meant to back down, just to trust in God's help!

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it." Numbers 12:1‭-‬2.

Even Moses' own brother & sister, Aaron & Miriam, began to complain against him. At this point in the reading, it's easy to feel bad for Moses. So many people were sharing their anger with him instead of encouraging him in The Lord! In that way, the burden was too big for him. Are sometimes responsible for the hurt of others, rather than the help? In sharing our pain & problems, do we indirectly inflict others? Better to pray about it & speak positively!

Miriam was the main person complaining in this instance, so she got sent out of the camp for 7 days with leprosy. Now God doesn't get tired, but I'm sure he also experiences a form of disappointment every time we complain. Again, just look at the opening chapter! Fire came against the people. In this case, it was leprosy. God is perfect, but He does react to our sinful ways. But that's only because He cares for us. If He didn't care, He would let us destroy ourselves!

One last instance of fear & weariness causing a negative report was in the spies who were sent to spy out Jericho:

"And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there." Numbers 13:27‭-‬28.

They saw the promise that God meant for them, a land which floweth with milk & honey, but the fear of the people who dwelt there overtook their report, even when Moses told them earlier to be of good courage, no matter what:

"And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes." Numbers 13:19‭-‬20.

Whatever they saw, they were to be brave! But only 2 spies ended up carrying a good report back (along with some grapes!). Caleb & Joshua did not complain, and Caleb finally brought some encouragement to these weary people:

"And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." Numbers 13:30‭-‬31.

...And yet, the people just didn't believe they could overcome them. They forgot to trust God! Sometimes, we get weary. Sometimes, our leaders, bosses & our Pastor get weary too! Instead of contributing to a problem, let's be part of the solution in prayer! Our Pastor always prays for us, so we must pray for him too! If we see our friends struggling, we should not pour out our complaints, but give them some positive, godly encouragement! I've heard that encouraging others helps cure us of our weariness too!