Finding Hope and Encouragement through Prayer

On days when I feel hurt, sad, or discouraged, I engage in many activities. Sometimes, I take a long walk, silently cursing the object of my pain and trying not to scream. Other times, when I’m bone tired and weary, I curl up on my bed and cry myself to sleep.

Most of the time, however, what I do is plug in my earphones and listen to a long playlist of sad songs on Spotify. There’s this feeling of identification, of belonging I get from the lyrics of these songs. The feeling that someone out there knows exactly how I feel, or has been through the exact pain and disappointment I’m going through. That feeling, though comforting, doesn’t give me peace. In fact, I usually feel worse after.

None of my go-to options was working. I still wake up weary after a long night of crying into my pillow, coupled with a headache and puffy eyes. The weariness was there, eating away at my best self. I wanted out. I couldn’t go on being gloomy and heavyhearted all the time, and it seemed God didn’t want that for me either.

In Matthew 11:28, it is written, “Come to me, all of you who are tired. You are like people who have worked for a long time. You are like people who have carried heavy things. Come to me. If you do that, you will find a place to rest.”

God’s call to you

Friends, this is God’s call to us. Are you, like me, experiencing an endless spiral of pain, disappointments, discouragement, and heartbreak? Are you trapped in a web of all these emotions and struggling to find a way out? Then this is God’s call to you, to us all.
God is asking us to come to Him, and one sure way to do this is by talking to Him in prayer. 

Whenever I hear the word prayer, I once believed it only had to do with being in church and worshipping with other believers, but it’s so much more than that.
Prayer is simply talking to God, communing, fellowshipping, and spending time with Him.

In those times when we feel weary, we may be tempted to seek comfort in other ways as I did, but I assure you, none of those truly bring peace or rest.

For the broken-hearted, for the hopeless, I bring good news.

These Scriptures will encourage your heart

Psalms 34:17‭-‬19 NLT
The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

Psalms 147:3 NLT
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Psalms 55:22 NLT
Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

2 Corinthians 4:8‭-‬9 NLT
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. Perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

These scriptures are God’s word to us, these are His promises and He can be trusted. He certainly isn’t one to lie.

So, I ask once again, are you burdened? Are you discouraged? Are you hurting? Do you feel hopeless? Are you worn out by the troubles you face? Do you seek a way out? Are you searching for rest?
God is calling out to you. Draw near to Him in prayer, talk to Him, cast your heavy burdens at his feet, and trade your sorrows for peace. He’s sure to give you rest.

Until next time, beloved. Remember, God’s got you and He’s very much interested in you.