Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? - Malachi 2:17
As many of you know, I love the book of Psalms, and I often quote and cling to the passages where the psalmist declares, "Pour your heart out to God." To me, the writer (which is God) is informing me that I have permission to tell God my troubles. He wants to hear from me. He desires for me to tell Him what's bothering me even though He already knows. And while all of that is true, in addition to the fact that God listens with a loving heart, there is a point where I go too far. Often, my prayer changes from an outpouring of my heart to an accusation towards God for not doing things correctly. And when that happens, God grows weary in well doing. My words have wearied Him.
"God, you're not taking care of me" can easily be interpreted as "God, you're a liar."
"How come the wicked have it all while the righteous struggle to make ends meet?" can be interpreted as "God, you've turned a blind eye to what's really going on down here."
"I know you know what's best, but. . ." basically means, "I think You've messed this up."
"It's not supposed to be this way" spells out "God, You're not doing Your job."
And all the while, God is working. He is supplying our needs. He is directing our paths. He is portraying every character trait He possesses, which includes holiness, sovereignty, love and much more. He picks us up when we fall. He forgives our sins, which are much more numerous than they should be. He gives and gives, performing a perfect work in us day after day. He is doing a good work--one that no one else could ever do. And our response is what?
I've never had any problem relating to the phrase "weary in well doing," but it wasn't until stumbling across this verse that I realized that my actions and reactions can cause my Lord to grow weary in well doing. Just because I'm feeling weary doesn't give me the right to cast that weariness on the Lord. Yes, He wants to hear my problems, and yes, He wants to give me the strength and grace to make it through. But I see now that I need to watch that fine line between pouring out my heart and lashing out in anger. God is wearied by my accusations against Him because He knows they're not true. Furthermore, He knows that deep down I know that they're not true. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped me from thinking the worst and causing God grief in the process.
God has given each of us a job to do. How about we focus on our own jobs instead of telling God how to do His? Wouldn't that work out better for everyone? Just because we don't understand what God is doing doesn't mean that He's doing it wrong. It simply means that we can't comprehend so great a work. God has everything under control, and He doesn't need our help. He would, however, appreciate our cooperation and support. Isn't that the least we can do?
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