A Prayer for When Your Overwhelmed Heart Aches for His Overwhelming Peace
By Courtney Stanford
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18 NIV
There are times… times when we don’t have the words to say at all. We have times when all we can do is simply take a deep breath in and whisper a quiet prayer, “God, please give me the words to say.”
Around here, we’re all suddenly finding ourselves in one of those seasons. My heart is so heavy. Our community is experiencing great loss…waves of loss. It is hard to know what to say to bring comfort to the hurting friends and community members. From the outside, so many of us just want to help in some way. Kind exchanges of love that come in the forms of flowers, casseroles, cards, or visits… the small kindnesses matter. Those small acts of compassion are meaningful ways to express our deep concern and care for another’s breaking heart. Still, we truly want to do more. “We just have to keep praying,” we gently whisper to each other. “Keep praying…we don’t know what else to do.” Friends, keep praying. Continue to present your hearts to God. He will meet us there.
Dear Lord, You alone are the Comforter. Please provide a season of comfort in the midst of deep sadness, to the hearts that are hurting. Hold them, Father. Please wrap your loving arms around them so that they know they are not alone. You are the One who brings peace. We need you, Lord. Please cover the hurt with Your faithful and peaceful presence, Jesus. In Your Name, we pray, Amen.
May you know and feel the embrace of His mercy. May your overwhelmed heart experience His overwhelming peace.
Editor’s Note: This devotional was excerpted from Courtney Stanford’s article When Your Overwhelmed Heart Aches for His Overwhelming Peace. You can read that piece in full, here.
Listen to the Your Nightly Prayer Podcast
We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer, where you can sign up to receive it every evening in your inbox. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on God. Check out an episode below:
Struggling with acceptance or feeling misunderstood? Remember, your true identity is found in being fully known and loved by God. Let His unconditional love be your anchor, and rest tonight in the assurance that you are cherished beyond measure. Listen to this episode of Your Nightly Prayer, and if you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss a new episode!
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below
