Don’t you just love how kids misunderstand song lyrics and subsequently fill in the blanks with their own version? At the age of three, my daughter did that with the phrase, ” In our family, we communicate.” For days, she was skipping about the house singing, “In our family, we can eat some cake!” Silly girl, everyone knows our family prefers pie.
Similarly, I once had a friend who overheard her daughter singing in her bedroom. As my friend drew near to listen, she found little Emily seated on the bed crooning at the top of her lungs, “We exhaust Thee. We exhaust Thee. We exhaust Thee, O Lord!”
My friend could not help but quip how her daughter likely had a more accurate perception of reality than adults did when they sang the appropriate lyrics of We Exalt Thee. And while it is funny to think that young Emily may have clearly portrayed the exhaustion I, as a mother, would feel as a caregiver for children as needy as those of our Heavenly Father, I had to wonder about the truth of her statement. Although it seems our incessant neediness would indeed exhaust God, the Bible indicates that is not the case.
The truth is, God never gets tired. And as much as I am inclined to believe otherwise, He never gets tired of me. Glory, Hallelujah! Nothing makes Him roll His eyes and try to find a place where my whining voice can no longer reach His ears.
Amid life’s challenges – from the ones that change abruptly to those that linger interminably – it is refreshing to know Father remains constant.
When I am panicking because of political upheavals and blatant immorality flaunting itself in the form of political correctness, Father is steadfast.
When my heart falters, fearing for the world we are handing our children and grandchildren, Father stands immovable.
When I am weary from the lies touted as truth, He is unchangeable.
When I’m shaken to the core watching the world shake its fist at God, He remains unshakeable and devoted in His love for all humanity.
Father continues ruling the world and reigning over it all — uninterrupted.
Just constantly God.
Isaiah 40:28 portrays it like this:
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
Contrary to little Emily’s song, God, who has formed and sustains all, is not prone to exhaustion. The One who fashioned the galaxies and flung the stars to grace the backdrop of midnight skies never once grows weary at the task of caring for His children. Even when we fight amongst each other like spoiled siblings jockeying for position and fame.
As assuredly as He holds the universe in place with a whisper and calls the stars by name, so He speaks to the cries of our hearts and stills us with tender hand outstretched.
Always wakeful.
Ever watchful.
Maintaining His sleepless vigil over us.
Keeping us within His protection night and day.
Guarding our hearts and minds with the power of His consuming love.
While we may run in circles exhausting ourselves in a panic like Chicken Little, convinced the sky is falling, God is not susceptible to our fears. Nor is He overwhelmed by our soul-weariness.
He keeps us with unrelenting love and inexhaustible patience.
As close as the very air we breathe, He lingers near.
The next time you find yourself tempted to think God is tired of you and your neediness, I invite you to change your tune. Turn those mixed-up words of “We exhaust Thee” into the praises of “We exalt Thee.”
Then climb into your Father’s lap, release the cares of this world into His keeping, and nestle down for a peaceful nap while He watches over you.
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FOR REFLECTION
Do you ever feel that God grows tired of you?
As much as we are prone to exhaustion, our Father never is. The Bible tells us that He is constant and vigilant in His care over us, no matter how needy we may be. He bends down to give ear to our cries and extends compassion to us when our hearts are overwhelmed.
No matter the state of your heart, God longs for you to bring your concerns to Him. What cares do you need to release into His keeping today?