Man up = abiding

The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.
2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
-Proverbs 30:1-2

I used to think of this verse as a rebuke for any man unable to man-up. After meditating on this passage and what it means to be weary, this verse is more of a rebuke for those who do not a have heavenward gaze. It is not uncommon for youths to be weary and exhausted. The problem that we find in this verse is that the man is complaining about his weariness. Whenever weariness sets in our response should not be that of grumbling, but that of prayer. When we have a prayerful attitude than we are aware of our own strength. By running to prayer we put to death self-sufficiency and go to the source of our strength. Isaiah says in his prophecy that at the first sight of weariness we do not need to muster up more strength, but to wait on God.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
-Isaiah 40:28-31

Notice how in Isaiah that renewed strength does not come from one’s own discipline, but from the LORD, who is the everlasting God. He created all things and he can miraculously give your strength when you feel like you have none left. He has understanding that is unsearchable, therefore He will not put you or I in a situation where we will utterly despair or be overpowered. To complain against God due to weariness is to not know God. Those who grow weary to the point where they complain have not known or heard the character of God. To summarize the book of Proverbs, all people fall into two categories, they are either or wise or they are a fool. A wise person knows who God is and lives their life according to His will so as to please Him. The fool says in his heart that there is no God and lives a life that exhibits this world view. To have your strength renewed, you must wait on God and you cannot wait on Him who you do not know.

How do you avoid playing the fool? In one word, abide. To abide means to remain. J.C. ryle expounds on the definition of abiding by saying, “Cling to Christ. Stick fast to Christ. Life the life of close and intimate communion with Christ. Get nearer and nearer to Christ. Roll every burden on Christ. Cast your whole weight on Christ. Never let go your hold on Christ for a moment. Be as it were rooted and planted in Christ. Do this, and Christ will never fail you. He will always remain in you if you abide in him.” In day to day life what does it mean to abide? We’ll look at that next time.