A Prayer for the Weary-Hearted and Hurting - Your Daily Prayer - July 30

A Prayer for the Weary-Hearted and Hurting
By Emily Rose Massey

Bible Reading
“Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Psalms‬ 30:4-5‬

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“How have you been?”

“Tired.” I respond with a chuckle, but on the inside, I know that I am struggling deeply from what seems to be one very long season of sleep deprivation. I am convinced that sleep deprivation from the baby/toddler phase is the mom version of fasting. My flesh becomes so weakened, and my reliance upon God becomes absolutely everything. I cannot help but rely on His grace to do pretty much anything.

You see, the Lord has blessed me with four precious boys who simply do not like sleep for at least the first three to four years of life. When you add the difficulty of sleeping in pregnancy and having children every 2-3 years, I haven’t had uninterrupted sleep in over ten years.

I don’t share all of this to complain or receive sympathy or ask for advice. I share to remind you (and myself) that the Lord is near to those suffering and walking through a difficult season that may have you feeling so incredibly incapable and discouraged.

When I was praying last night in the midnight hours during the on-and-off wakings (awakened every 1-2 hours because of my youngest’s teething pain and what I can assume is another sleep regression), I said: “God, I know he is a gift…please help me.” And this morning, as I reflect, I’m realizing the ways my son is a gift from the Father. When my flesh is weak and I am humbled to my knees, I am able to bear fruit and walk in the Spirit in a way that pleases the Lord. So I find myself thanking God through tears for this sleep deprivation. Suffering is a gift, and with it comes joy and praise to God for His faithfulness. 

These verses in Psalms 30 command us to sing praises to the Lord even in the midst of our suffering and weeping:

“Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Psalms‬ 30:4-5‬ NASB 1995‬‬)

Are you currently in a season of great difficulty and trial? Cry out to the Lord! His grace is sufficient in your weakness. Lean upon Him, and He will strengthen you and transform you in your suffering to look more like Him. He is faithful in every season. His ways may seem confusing to you, but trust that He will turn your weeping into great joy in His time. There is purpose in the pain you may be experiencing, and one of the purposes is to remind you that Your heavenly Father is near and is truly worthy of our adoration and praise. He is working things out for your good (Romans 8:28), which is to make you look more like Christ (Romans 8:29). I know it may be difficult to see your trial as a gift or reason to praise God; it’s hard for our minds to fully comprehend how pain can be called good, but we must trust that His ways are higher than ours and He uses everything for His plans for our lives so that He would receive the most glory in and through us. May you remember to lift your gaze and call out to Him when life seems too much to bear, and the hurt is too heavy. He wants you to lean upon Him in all things. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. 

Let’s pray

Heavenly Father, 

I am so weary and weighed down by my current life circumstances. It is difficult for me to see the gift in this trial, but I trust You are using it for my good and for Your glory. Help me to have eyes to see that You are working in my life. My circumstances may not change anytime soon, but please change me in my circumstances to look more like Jesus. I ask You to strengthen my faith so that I can lift my voice and praise You, trusting that joy is coming in Your perfect timing. I may be weary, but I choose to worship You because You are forever faithful to me. Help me to look to You and point others to You in this season. You are good. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: Tanes Ngamsom

Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a homeschooling momma of four boys, while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.

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