A Prayer to Be Less Sad Today
By Alisha Headley
Bible Reading
“Blessed is the one…. whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on it day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and who leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.” - Psalm 1:1-3
Are you sad today? Maybe you feel alone, and every day, you scroll through social media, seeing others living their life to the fullest, surrounded by good things and many people. You feel alone, thinking you’re the only one experiencing such sadness and emptiness. Perhaps you are sad because a close friendship is on the rocks, or your marriage just experienced a devasting hit, and you don’t know how you’re going to ever recover and move forward. Or maybe you have experienced a recent loss like the loss of a loved one, loss of a pregnancy, a job, or loss of a dream or idea of how you thought things were supposed to go.
Whatever the cause may be, you feel sad today. Empty, alone, and sad, which most likely leaves you feeling hopeless and can lead to feelings of worry, which usually leads to anxiety, and so on. Often, we turn to shiny things within our reach that, at first, might satisfy us for a moment but lead us right back to the hole of sadness we started in. The greatest cure and medicine for sadness and all the feelings it may lead to is the Word of God. The Word of God seeps into dry and lonely places and fills them. The more you drink from the Word of God and even digest it, the more your soul is saturated, and the more your sadness leaves you.
Today’s Scripture verse reminds us of just that. We are blessed when we delight in the Word of God and meditate on the instructions found in the Bible. It is delighting in the Word of God that will bring nourishment to our quenched and lonely places. In doing so, you will be blessed. The Greek word He used is “makarios,” which conveys both happiness and joy. You can read today’s verse another way, too, saying “happy” is the one who delights in the Lord.” Happy is the opposite of sad.
You see, delighting in God’s Word, meditating on it day and night, digesting it all in, devouring it like food: this is when you can begin to turn your sadness into happiness – into being blessed! The circumstance that made you sad might not fade right away, but your heart of sadness will.
Let’s pray:
Dear God,
Thank you for the Bible and for leaving us with the tool that keeps our hearts focused on you. Lord, we are sad. We are sad for so many reasons in life right now, and we are feeling hopeless about the circumstances that we are facing. Thank you for today’s scripture, which reminds us that the Word of God can turn our hearts of sadness into hearts of blessings and happiness. Remind us every time we feel moments of sadness to pick up your Word and spend time devouring it until it sinks deep in our hearts and becomes a part of who we are. We know that what we are going through and the feelings of sadness we are feeling are only temporary, and in due time, fruit will yield from us delighting in you and your Word. Forgive us for turning to things that don’t satisfy us. We trust you even if our circumstances don’t change. Thank you for your blessings and the happiness we can experience with you in the meantime. We love you, Lord.
In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Fizkes
Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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