A Prayer to Let Go When You're Trying to Hold it All Together
By Heidi Vegh
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the livestock, all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'" - Genesis 1:26
This world is a harsh place. When we aren’t leaning on Jesus', our to-do lists can be overwhelming, especially when we feel we must do it all. Perhaps you have a lot on your plate. You are responsible for a lot, and you fear that if you let go, everything will crumble and fall apart. When God created us, He made us for Himself. He created us to live in harmony with Him and rely on Him entirely for our needs. We are created in His image, and He cares for us. He has jobs for us to do. But He wants us to do them beside Him, for His glory, not for selfish gain. When we only think of ourselves and what we will personally gain from striving to be in control, we will stumble.
When sin entered the world, so did pride and self-sufficiency. We are told to grin and bear it, to lock in and hold on, gritting our teeth as we strive to manifest, control, and keep all things in place. At some point, we will break. All of us. We are not created to endure, control, and hold everything together, and when we strive to do these things, we will eventually break under pressure.
In Isaiah 40: 29-31, we read, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and exhausted, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint."
When you feel like your own strength is failing, call out to Jesus. When you feel like the world and all its expectations are crushing you, call out to Jesus. When you feel like you can't go on, call out to Jesus.
Let's pray:
God. It’s too much. I am crushing under the weight of all the expectations. I am crumbling under the weight of what others expect of me, and I am suffocating under the expectations that I have put on myself. I can't do it alone. I am trying to hold it all together, but my weak grip is weakening. I need you to hold me up, Jesus. I am calling out to you in my time of need. I can't do this anymore. I want to rely on you solely for my strength to avoid getting to the end of myself. However, I understand that sometimes it is the getting to the end of myself that draws me to you. I thank you for pursuing me, Lord.
Thank you for loving me enough not to let me continue walking a road of self-sufficiency that leaves me dry and maxed out. Lord, please renew me today. Show me what to let go of. Show me where I being prideful in my actions, and forgive me for not relying on you. Thank you for your patience while waiting for me to rely on you. Thank you for loving me enough to extend your hands to help pull me from the pit. Thank you for your peace, your joy, your strength. I trust that when I let go, you will catch me. When I let go of all the things I have the illusion of controlling, you will still have your hand in every detail. I don't have the strength to do it all; I know that is not how you created me. Help me to let go.
In your precious name, we pray, amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/PeopleImages
Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader living in Western Washington. She is a remarried mother of four, navigating the blended family life after the loss of her first husband to cancer in 2013. She longs to use her writing as a way to encourage others who have experienced loss and guide them on the road to healing. She contributes to her blog found at www.mrsheidivegh.com , sharing stories and devotionals of faith stemming from her loss and healing, mothering, and her blended and complex family. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English and is working on her first book. Heidi is the Women’s Ministry Director at her local church and has a deep heart for sharing Jesus with women and encouraging them in their faith walk. When she is not writing, she loves to travel, read, craft, and experiment in the kitchen. Visit her Facebook and Instagram (@mrsheidivegh) to learn more.
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.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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