Have you ever felt like the weight of the world rested on your shoulders? Has stress ever made your chest so tight that even the simple task of breathing feels like too much?
Sometimes life feels like you're running, and you have nothing left to give. But your legs are so numb that you can't stop, so you keep going.
Or you're bouldering and you're far enough up that you don't want to turn around--you can't turn around--but you're too high up that you don't want to--you can't--fall. All you can do is hang on with shaking arms.
Wherever you find yourself tonight, I want to offer a bit of hope.
To the one who needs a break...
It's easy to find yourself in a perpetual cycle of waiting for the day that you can rest. You look forward to the day that you can take a break. But then what? The cycle starts all over again.
Psalm 39:7 says, "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you."
Sometimes the weight of responsibility can be crushing. It can feel like you're always one step behind and just trying to stay afloat.
But the Lord will lift your head above the water. Put your hope in Him.
While the seemingly endless cycle of stress progresses, the Lord remains faithful to walk with you.
To the one who feels forgotten...
It's easy to look around and see how happy other people seem. It's easy to feel "skipped over" or forgotten.
"When will it be my turn?" is a question that frequently comes to mind.
Whether you're waiting for a relationship, to finish school, or to catch a big break at work, you have not been forgotten. Your time will come.
Psalm 31:14-15 says, "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!"
To the one who feels beaten down by life...
Sometimes it feels like you just can't catch a break. As soon as you make it through one problem, another arises.
On days, even seasons, like these, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged.
Psalm 42:11 says, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I again shall praise Him, my salvation and my God."
It can be difficult to believe that there is hope, and it can be especially difficult to see past what is right now.
But the Lord is ever-present, even in the midst of troubles.
Psalm 40:11 says, "As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me."
Whatever you're walking through, it is a season. It will past.
The Lord sees you and hears you. He gives rest for the soul. If you belong to Him, nothing can snatch you from His hand.
I don't know who needed to hear these words, but if nothing else, I needed the reminder.
