Cure For Weariness Series

Some time ago, I came across these notes, which were found on hospital charts:

• The patient refused autopsy.

• Note: Patient recovering from forehead cut. Patient became very angry when given an enema by mistake.

• Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

• On the second day, the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.

• The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me.

• She is numb from her toes down.

• While in ER, she was examined, x-rated, and sent home.

• Patient was alert and unresponsive.

• I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.

• The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.

• Skin: Somewhat pale but present.

• Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities (Marshall Shelley, www.PreachingToday.com).

No doubt, some sleepy intern or frazzled nurse wrote these notes. But that describes a lot of people in our society today—underpaid, overworked and weary. Perhaps, it describes you these days.

It certainly described Moses in the days after God used him to free the Israelites from Egypt. He was leading 2 to 3 million people across the wilderness, putting up with their constant grumbling, and trying to settle their many disputes. It was wearing him down, but even he found some relief in the company of an old friend, his father-in-law, who gave him some good advice. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Exodus 18, Exodus 18, where we discover God’s cure for weariness in the advice of Moses’ father-in-law.

Exodus 18:1-5 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God (ESV)—that’s Mount Sinai

Exodus 18:6-7 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent (ESV).

Moses had lived 40 years with his father-in-law before he went back to Egypt. Now, after the stress of dealing with Pharaoh, the grumbling of 2 to 3 million Israelites, and an attack by the Amalekites, it must have felt good to be home again with his family.

Exodus 18:8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them (ESV).

Moses gave God the glory for all that was done! Moses didn’t brag about what he had done. Instead, he bragged about what GOD had done.

Exodus 18:9-11 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people” (ESV).

Because Moses gave God the praise, his father-in-law became a believer in Israel’s God, YHWH. Verse 1 says, “He was THE priest of Midian”—i.e., the CHIEF priest of a pagan religion. Now, he worships YHWH because of Moses’ witness.

Exodus 18:12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God (ESV).

In-laws, family members, and all the leaders of Israel rejoiced together over what God had done. This was a praise party, which I’m sure went a long way towards relieving the weariness in Moses’ own soul. Moses gave praise to God, and that’s what you must do if you want to relieve the weariness in your own soul.

GIVE GOD THE PRAISE.

Assign God the glory. Give God the credit for all your accomplishments.

1st of all, praise is refreshing to the soul. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” But even more so, praise helps you realize who’s really in control. When you begin to think that you have to control everything, life’s responsibilities can be overwhelming. But when you realize that GOD is the one in charge, then that takes the pressure off.