Prayer when you are tired and burdened
Written by Vivian Bricker
Bible reading:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
Listen or read below:
Since I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, there have been days when I’ve felt so tired and sore that I didn’t even want to get out of bed in the morning. I wake up many times during the night with pain and can’t sleep well. I’m praying for a better medication change, but it seems like I’m stuck with my current treatment until I can get an early appointment to see a doctor. The doctors are very nice, but the wait times can be very long.
All of us who live with chronic illness understand how difficult daily tasks can be. Instead of facing the day with confidence, we struggle, suffer, and second-guess everything. When we are in pain, we don’t want to go out with our loved ones or go somewhere far away. As someone who has experienced this first hand, every event is stressful because you don’t know how you will feel.
Even if you don’t have a chronic illness, it’s very likely that you know and love someone who does. You know how bad it feels when you get sick. Imagine having it all the time and still having to go to work, attend events, and see loved ones. You will soon realize how tiring and difficult it is. Thankfully, we don’t have to face these challenges alone because we serve a great and wonderful God.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” says the Lord. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
As we look at this passage, we see that the Lord is telling all who are weary and burdened to come to Him and He will give them rest. Most of us are tired and burdened for various reasons. Even if you don’t have an autoimmune disease, you may be suffering from another health condition or experiencing a divorce, miscarriage, or loss of a loved one. Everyone is going through something, and most of us can relate to what it means to be tired and burdened.
If we come to the Lord with this feeling, He will give us rest. This is a promise from the Lord, and a promise He will never revoke. He also teaches us that God is kind and humble in heart, and that if we take His yoke upon us and learn from Him, we will find rest for our souls. The Lord’s yoke is easy, and his burden is light.
Praise the Lord that we serve such an amazing God who is always for us and never against us. God has lifted up our souls and set our feet on level ground. Because God is good, we can rely on Him for everything. Our burdened hearts can turn to God in prayer today.
Let’s pray:
Dear Jesus,
Today I am tired and burdened. I just don’t feel good because of the countless things happening in my life. I want to feel peace and take this weight off my back. Thank you for revealing to me the promise of Matthew 11:28-30. I come to you today with a weary and burdened heart. I have taken your yoke upon me and am learning from you.
I praise You for being kind-hearted and humble, and in Your love I find rest for my soul. Lord, your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Thank you for blessing me with your grace, love, and protection.
In your wonderful name we pray, amen.
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Photo credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes
Vivian Bricker earned a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry and then a Master of Arts with an emphasis in Theology. She loves theology, ministry, and all things helping others learn about Jesus. For more of her content, visit Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/.
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