A Prayer When You Feel Depleted
By Emma Danzey
Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Have you ever felt like everything came at you all at once? Have you been pushed to a point of burn out? Do you feel weary because of your own doing, or maybe just because of life circumstances in which you cannot control? Today we are going to pray for when we feel depleted. It happens to all of us at moments in our lives. There is no shame in coming to the cross of Jesus with nothing but open arms in surrender. In fact, that is a great place to be.
The feeling of depletion is not in itself a blessing, but when we take it to Christ, it can be turned into a testimony of the fullness of God. Let’s go before the throne of grace and ask the Lord to meet us in our personal situations. He cares for each of our needs.
Let's pray:
Omnipotent God,
We need Your strength today. Help us to look to you in our lack. You tell us in James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” We clearly need wisdom in our busy lives. Help us to know what to say yes and no to. Guide us in the circumstances surrounding our weary hearts and bodies.
We pray Psalm 23:1-3 over us, “You LORD are my shepherd, I lack nothing. You make me lie down in green pastures, You leads me beside quiet waters, You refresh my soul. You guide me along the right path for Your name's sake.” A shepherd sometimes carries a sheep. Father, please carry us through this season. We are exhausted, we are spent, and we are just plain done. Help us to rest and lie down in green pastures. You invite us to be still. Lead us, restore us, and guide us. We come to you broken, empty, and worn. In yet, You see all and know all. We are “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
Forgive us for any ways that we have taken on unnecessary burdens that we were not meant to carry. Lift the yoke of our sin, the sins of others, and just the broken world from our shoulders. Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light. Help us to hope in You again. We ask that You will renew our strength on wings like eagles, that you will help us to run and not grow weary and walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). For those of us who just need the strength for one day at a time right now, remind us that You are an ever-present help in time of need (Psalm 46:1). Lift our eyes up from the depletion and to Yourself. You Jesus are our Rock and our strength. Help us to be secure enough to rest in Your love. Give us enough courage to be vulnerable and rely on You. Help us not to lose sight of Your love and Holy Spirit power in our lives.
Whether we come to your with personal concerns or concerns about others, thank You that You hear us and that you care for us. We love you so much. We praise You that You would come to earth and fully experience what it is like to be depleted Yourself. Thank You that you never sinned. Thank You that You can relate to us in our pain and suffering. We ask that you would provide the physical, emotional, and spiritual rest and peace that we so desire. We praise You for hearing our cries and meeting us where we are at. Thank You that we can safely come to you as we are and be held and encouraged. Thank You too that we are changed when we come to You for the best. We love you and thank You in advance for the newfound strength and hope only You can provide to us in this season. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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