Prayer to let go of what weighs you down

A prayer to let go of what weighs you down
By: Heidi Vegh

Bible reading:
“Forget the old things; don’t dwell on the past. See, I’m doing a new thing!” – Isaiah 43:18-19

Listen or read below:

Last year I had the privilege of hosting a grief retreat at my church. We had a speaker from an organization called Spark of Life, and he talked about the weight we carry in our lives.

At one point, he asked for a volunteer from the audience. He brought them on stage, filled a backpack with rocks and placed it on their backs. As the volunteer walked, you could see the weight slowing him down, changing his posture, affecting the way he moved.

Then the speaker asked him to take off the backpack. One by one, he opened it and removed the stones. Each had a label: grief, loss, regret, shame, worry, disappointment, unforgiveness…and more.

It was such a powerful image.

Because when we choose to wear these things, they affect the way we experience life. But the beautiful truth is that we don’t need to wear them.

We actively choose what goes into our backpacks.

Every morning we wake up and decide what we will take.

We choose to dwell on our past mistakes, forgetting that we are forgiven.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. » — Romans 8:1

We choose to cling to shame, forgetting that we serve a God of restoration.
“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…who endured the cross, despising the shame…” — Hebrews 12:2

We pick up the rock called sorrow, and sometimes it seems like the heaviest of all, and yet we choose to carry it instead of surrendering our pain to Jesus.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. » — Psalm 34:18

What we carry is up to us.

We have the choice of what we keep in our backpack and what we place at the foot of the cross.

Scripture gives us a beautiful picture of this kind of abandonment in the story of Joseph in Genesis. After everything he experienced, the betrayal, the slavery, the suffering, he chose to free himself from his pain and to forgive. He said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. »

God can – and will – use everything we have been through for good. But we have to give him space to do it. We must let go of what hurts us so that we can reclaim His peace and purpose.

He is a God of restoration.

He takes what hurts and brings beauty from it. He is doing a new thing. He uses our pain to shape us into what He calls us to be.

Our pain is not in vain.

“For our light and momentary troubles bring us an eternal glory that far exceeds them. » — 2 Corinthians 4:17

When we give all of our stones to the Lord, our backpack can be filled with peace, love and joy. Allowing us to walk with a lighter step, a bolder stance and a more determined posture.

Let us pray:

Lord, my backpack is heavy, sometimes too heavy to carry. I long to walk free from my past, the difficult circumstances and the weight I carry every day.

Remind me to leave these stones at the foot of the cross instead of putting them back in my backpack each morning. Give me the strength and endurance not to take them back, but to continually abandon them to You.

I choose to believe that You are a God of restoration and peace. I choose to believe that You can take the ugly parts of my life and the regrettable parts of my past and make them into something beautiful.

I open my heart to you, Lord. I invite you into the deepest, darkest parts of my soul, the places that hold bitterness, resentment, regret, shame, disappointment, and sorrow, and I ask you to replace them with your peace. A peace that passes all understanding.

I long to walk in freedom and I know this is possible because of the sacrifice of your Son. I believe that because of what Jesus did, I can live free of the weight I so often choose to carry.

I know this will be a process of letting go, so please give me the endurance and confidence I need to fully surrender, to release everything, and to walk in the freedom that only You can give.

In your precious name I pray,

Amen.

Discuss today’s devotion with others in the Your Daily Prayer Thread on the pedestrian crossing forum.

Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker and ministry leader based in Western Washington. A remarried mother of four, she leads a blended family life after losing her first husband to cancer in 2013. Through her writing and speaking, Heidi encourages those who have experienced loss, offering hope and practical advice on the path to healing and renewed life.

She is the author of The Hard Journey to the Good: A Widow’s Journey from Loss to New Life, a heartfelt account of grief, faith, and rebuilding after a devastating loss, available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You can find Heidi on her website mrsheidivegh.com where she shares devotions and reflections on grief, healing, motherhood, faith and the beauty and complexity of blended family life through her monthly newsletter. She holds a degree in creative writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University and serves as ministry director at her local church, where she is passionate about helping women grow in faith and experience the transforming love of Jesus.

You can find her on Instagram @mrsheidivegh and SubStack: https://substack.com/@heidivegh

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