I marked a page in a book I had read several years ago and came across it the other day. A Prayer That Moves Heaven offers comfort and hope for those going through difficult times, and we all have gone through or are going through difficult, challenging times, right? As I reread the page I had marked, I thought there were some good nuggets of wisdom there, so I’m sharing a small section of it here. Hope you find it helpful…

God never intended for His kids to live under the pressure and fear and worry of life’s situations. Jesus tells us, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

Surrendering is a good idea when you are facing dark and hopeless times. But always surrender to God, not to the circumstances.

There is a very big difference.

It’s one thing to sigh and shrug your shoulders and say, “Well, there’s nothing I can do,” and it’s another thing altogether to surrender your situation to the Lord who loves you. When you surrender your life and your circumstances to God, everything changes.

Yielding to His will and His plan is step number one. Once that is done, you can begin to ask Him some questions as you pray. Perhaps you might say something like this: “God, what do You see?” In other words, “How does this situation look from Your vantage point? Please help me to find Your perspective on my situation.”

The second question you might ask is, “God, what are You going to do?”

Third, you might ask, “God, what should I be doing?”

…In other words, “God, I don’t know what’s going on here. I know what I see, but I want to look to You. So I’m asking You for wisdom to let me see these things as they truly are.” 

–From A Prayer That Moves Heaven, pp. 50–52

When we surrender everything to God, it takes the heaviness and weight off our shoulders. I’m thankful He’s always there with open arms to lighten our load.

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  MATTHEW 11:28 NIV