A Prayer for When the Hurt Is Heavy
By Christine Perry
"From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:2 NKJV
I don't know what is going on in your life, but I do know that no one goes through life unscathed. Some of my darkest and heaviest moments were moments of loss - the loss of a dream job, the loss of a relationship, the loss of family members. The Lord does not promise an easy life. In fact, in John 16:33, Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
But where do we go when our hearts are heavy? Did you see the first part of John 16:33? It says, "that in Me you may have peace." Deuteronomy 33:27 says, "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms...” Although we may wrestle with why God has allowed certain things to take place, He offers Himself as a refuge. He is not scared or unprepared for your questions, tears, or anger. His hands are strong enough to hold us when we are falling apart.
I want to encourage you to do what David did and wrote about in Psalm 62:8, “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."
Pour out your heart and your hurt to God. And when You are struggling to trust Him, like we all do, ask Him to help you trust Him. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." If you find yourself struggling to pray today, I understand. Life hurts. It sometimes leaves us incapacitated and speechless. I want to encourage you that God never stops working. John 5:17 says, "In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.'" And God does restore and heal. I want to pray for you, even if you cannot join me. I want you to know you are not alone.
Let's pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray for my brothers and sisters who read this prayer today. Father, You see exactly what they’ve gone through and what they’re currently going through. You also see their hearts and the hurts they are carrying. Father, You made our hearts, and You know how to heal them. Father, I pray that You would give them the strength to pour their heart out to You. Help them to trust that You still work all things together for good and that this is not the end of their stories.
Father, please remind them that You will help us, sustain us, and uphold us with Your righteous right hand. Remind us that we are never out of your sight. Please remind us that You have not forgotten us and that our names are engraved in the palm of Your hand. Father, I ask that You help us come to You with all the hurt in our hearts. I pray that when we don’t have the words to pray, Your Spirit will make intercession for us. God, we need You. I ask that You will carry us and all our hurts when it gets too heavy. I pray that You would heal the hurt and strengthen the hearts reading this prayer today.
Lord, I know You love us, and You are for us. Please remind us of this truth when we have forgotten it. Would You also give us a tangible reminder of this today? Please pick us up when we have fallen or been knocked down by life. Please also hold us close when we try to run away. Allow us to have the strength to wrestle through things in our hearts with you. You are our Father, and You know exactly what we need. Please be our refuge and our very present help in time of need. Thank You for hearing our prayers and being a good Father, even when we doubt it. You are good, and You do good. Thank You.
I pray all this in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus. Amen!
Photo credit: Unsplash/Anh Nguyen
Christine is just a lady who was given the gift of being raised in an incredible family. For reasons unknown to her, God has blessed her with an amazing life full of beautiful friendships, remarkable experiences, and a love from Him that is completely underserved. She desires to encourage others and share hope as we journey through the highs and lows of life. Christine is the author of How I Met Peace and For the Weary Life Traveler, a 31-day devotional. Check out more of Christine’s work at her website: Learning to be fearless and her Patreon.
Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below!
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