The attributes of God are the subject of many articles and sermons: His love, power, wisdom, holiness, eternalness, etc. But one of the characteristics of God which seems to be seldom discussed is His tirelessness. Isaiah writes in our text of the Everlasting God who “does not become weary or tired.”
We humans all experience the tiredness which comes from living in a body of clay. We must get proper rest, or we begin to function in a diminished capacity or in extreme cases - not at all! However, God does not live in such a body but is spirit, so He has no potential problem of “running out of gas.”
Isaiah, though, is discussing a different type of weariness which God could experience. This type of weariness works on the six-year-old who is the brunt of all the teasing at school since he is the shortest one in class. It’s the attitude which can develop when over and over again at work we are passed over for promotion in favor of someone younger and newer on the job. It’s the tiredness which can result from having to deal day in and day out with the open rebellion and ingratitude of an unruly child. It’s the faint heartedness which can well up in the spirit from the continual assaults of an abusive husband or the ceaseless clamor of a contentious wife.
It is the tiredness which drives a person to say, “Enough is enough. I quit!” God will never entertain such a thought.
Let’s be perfectly clear, though. At times, God gets totally fed up with our sinning and gives a nation (Israel’s repeated experience) or a person over to oppression to provoke repentance. But God is never too tired or weary to listen to the cries of the down-trodden and broken hearted or to answer the prayers of His people. And note this well: He has been listening to the weeping and calls for help from the teeming millions on earth for thousands of years. Yet, He never grows weary in hearing and responding to their cries. God is indeed a loving Father and a tireless Shepherd. Thank you, Lord.
><>Jeff