Every day “little burdens” trouble our souls and weigh down our hearts like a backpack strapped to our shoulders. One more struggle added to a medium-sized load causes a sigh to escape from our lips and our shoulders to droop.
I felt that way recently when I lost a small, costly and needed item…a hearing aid. The moment I realized it was missing, I gasped, sighed, and closed my eyes in disbelief. It had been a busy week serving the Lord, and this day had been especially full. When I realized the problem I was in a place where I could do nothing. I couldn’t get up and go search for it because we were at camp sitting in a service.
It was one of those epiphany moments. A keen understanding of an essential truth came to me while I was doing a calligraphy drawing on my pantry chalkboard. I had been heavy hearted and downcast regarding a situation and had been slugging my way through the day with it wrapped around my heart like a snake’s grasp on a bird. Then as I was writing the words,
Pray without ceasing.
the Spirit of God whispered to my heart, “Yes, Denise. You need to go pray.”
Earlier in the morning I had my quiet time with the Lord. I had read His Word and spent time in prayer, giving Him praise and also my burdens. Then this issue had cropped up and the quietness had dissipated. Filling its place was unrest and uneasiness. I felt anxious and irritable.
Up until this moment, I had stuffed that anxiety with scrolling Instagram and other futile minute-wasters. The result was only more emptiness.
Now at God’s prompting to obey this verse that I had carefully written on my board, I did just that. I went back to my quiet place – kneeling at chair in a room upstairs. I poured out my heart before God, asking for His intervention and help. I asked Him to help me appropriate the peace that is mine in Christ. Colossians 3:15 I rose from my knees with a peace that truly does pass human understanding.
How foolish it is of me not to return to that place of prayer often, if not physically, at least in my heart. It’s the only place where I’ll find rest. It certainly isn’t in found in my own thoughts or secular entertainment. It’s found in the presence of my Savior.
If your heart feels anxious, instead of stuffing it with a Netflix series, food, or social media, may I encourage you to go find a place to be alone with God and pour out your heart to Him? Why? Because He cares.
Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
I Peter 5:7
He can also do something about your situation! But He is waiting for you to ask.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Matthew 7:7
Perhaps this blog post is your epiphany to “Go Pray!” God loves you enough to invite you to bring your burdens to Him, then to listen to you when you do.
Recently I got a text message about a difficult issue concerning someone close to me. Their situation was critical, and there was nothing any person could do to fix it. I found myself so anxious and uptight. In tears, I expressed my concerns to my husband. Right then he took me by the hands and stopped to pray.
Immediately, I felt the Lord’s peace come over my heart.
Gone were the anxious thoughts,
the worry
and the twisting of stomach and emotions.
With shame I asked the Lord to forgive me for not stopping myself from worrying and taking time to pray.
Why is it easier for us to go on with our fretting, rather than running to God’s Throne to find mercy and grace to help in our time of need? Hebrews 4:16 I knew I was helpless to change the situation, yet I went about my tasks with my furrowed brow and fearful thoughts.
Even though the situation we prayed about wasn’t helped immediately, I was! God’s peace flooded my heart as my husband took us to the Only place where help could be found!
I also knew I needed to help the sender of the text. I called and said,
“I need to help you by taking your hand, too, and going to God’s Throne right now. Can we pray together?”
If you’re anxious about ANYTHING today, can I remind you of what you probably already know? You need to stop letting it weigh you down and simply go to God’s Throne in prayer and leave that burden with Him. And if you know someone who is worried, or in a difficulty or a hopeless situation (your spouse, a friend, a child), do what my husband did for me and grab their hand and take them with you to the Throne of God. What peace you will both find there!
Is there a burden you need to stop and pray about? Is there someone who needs you to stop and pray with them?
Recently I got a text message about a difficult issue concerning someone close to me. Their situation was critical, and there was nothing any person could do to fix it. I found myself so anxious and uptight. In tears, I expressed my concerns to my husband. Right then he took me by the hands and stopped to pray.
RefreshHer 