I was lying on the couch with my weighted blanket pressing against my body. It felt like those protective X-ray aprons the dentist puts over you before they take pictures of your teeth. My new weighted blanket was like a trusted friend to whom I didn’t have to talk. I could lie there and be sad, which was great because I didn’t want to tell anyone what I was going through. It was a very depressing and dark circumstance, and to be honest, I felt a bit ashamed; the last thing I needed were empty platitudes from my friends or, worse, judgment and condemnation. What I needed in that moment was a prayer for comfort and strength.
As I lay there on the couch, hoping my new blanket would recharge me so I could go pick up my kids from school, I could see the sky outside the square window above me; it was dark and gloomy, and clouds covered every ounce of light, and the rain drizzle tapped against the glass. Even though all the pain around me existed, I found a place where I could breathe. It wasn’t ideal, and I would get mad at myself for lying around all day. But I needed to survive and find a way to get out of this dark tunnel. I was the most depressed I had ever been in my life. Wrapped in the weighted blanket, saying prayers, and listening to the rain against the window is all I could do in that moment and season.
The Pain Of Loss Can Lead You To A Broken Place
Whenever I think I have gone through the worst distress in my life, a new season tops the previous one. It has taken me over 40 years to learn that life is hard and that expecting a life without difficulty is unrealistic. There is no doubt that life can be filled with difficult situations.
Even during the good times, you can face turmoil in your mind and relationships, and any change can cause you to seek comfort and strength in uncertain times. From a wounded heart to seeking miraculous healing, it is no wonder why even Christians struggle with anxiety, stress, and depression, just like the rest of the world.
When you go through loss of any kind, you will want to find that guiding light. Difficult times will also lead you to a place of spiritual healing. We all experience loss, so it is essential to know what to do and Who to go to during those times. I think the season in my life where I found comfort in talking to God while snuggled up with my weighted blanket was a revealing time in my life of what it looks like to pray and surrender everything to God.
God Is A Merciful God
During my healing process, I realized that God is merciful and that no single person can enter heaven without His mercy. This was a huge revelation for me, and I had to trust in Jesus even more because Jesus is God’s mercy over all of our lives. My salvation in Jesus Christ became my beacon of hope during my darkest moments, not just for me but for those whom I was praying for and during the grief I experienced in that season.
I learned that my prayer life would be lacking if I didn’t understand this one concept about God’s mercy and grace over my life.
What good does it do when you constantly complain to God or beg for Him to do what He has already done? Your hard times do not take you away from His loving embrace. You can still turn to your Father God in times of need. Before you start your prayer or your journey to heal from the emotional pain you are facing today, you need to understand the grace of God.
How Do You Understand The Grace Of God
“Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Thank God for both.”
This powerful statement will help you realize the difference between grace and mercy and its role in your life, especially during the darkest hours. If there is one life lesson you need to understand before praying for comfort and strength, it is to know that when you are living a life surrendered to Jesus, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)
Your strong tower will always be the grace and mercy of Christ in your life. So, while you might be desperate to find the answers or see a change in your circumstances, knowing God’s unfailing love for you will give you peace of mind in your prayer life and daily life.
In Hebrews 4:16 (WEB) it says,
Let’s therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need.
This verse is an excellent reminder that IT IS ALL GRACE. The fact that you can go to God with your prayer during your time of weakness, heartbreak, or darkest hour and seek divine intervention is simply God’s grace over your life.
A Humble Heart Knows The Grace Of God
Knowing God’s grace will humble your heart and lead you to seek the God of hope and comfort in your time of grief and when you need a healing touch from God.
A prideful heart does not seek God’s heart, and prideful prayers do not understand God’s sovereign glory. It is a hard place to be when you seek refuge and strength from everything you are facing.
However, humility is key to understanding God’s grace and having the boldness to approach His throne of grace.
Many of my prayers rest in knowing that God is ultimately in control. While that is hard to accept at times, it mostly comforts and strengthens me as I walk through the battlefield of life. Inner peace guides me along the right path when all I want to do is step away from all that is troubling my heart.
Prayer In The Bible
In Luke 18:10-14 it discusses two men who are praying. One is a Pharisee, and the other is a tax collector. The verse says the Pharisee prayed to himself and told God about how “good” he was and all the “good” things he had done. This Pharisee thought prayer was about exalting himself instead of exalting the God of grace and mercy over his life.
However, the tax collector, who had lived a life full of sin, approached God and asked Him for forgiveness. In verse 13 (WEB), it says, “But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”
This story shows us the importance of a humble heart when praying to God. The only way you will understand the power of a humble heart is if you understand the role God’s grace and mercy played in your life while you were walking in your sin. It is difficult to find comfort and strength in God and through your prayers if you are walking in pride.
Humitly Set Me Free From The Weighted Blanket
It wasn’t just humility that set me free, but knowing that I could trust God’s grace and mercy over my life. Instead of sinking deeper into depression when my desperate pleas to God to CHANGE my circumstance seemingly went unanswered, I decided to have faith that He heard me and that He was with me every step of the way.
Four Things to Remember When Approaching God for Comfort and Strength Through Prayer
Life is not easy, but praying to God doesn’t have to be complicated. However, the position of our hearts often stops us from seeing any fruit from our prayers.
Here are four things to remember when approaching the throne of grace, seeking comfort and strength:
- God’s sovereignty will ultimately play out over time.
- You can trust God to guide you and empower you to make the right choices.
- Powerful prayers come from a place of humility, not entitlement.
- Heartfelt prayers don’t have to be perfect, and you can go to the God of all comfort to help you through anything in your life!
A Prayer Of Comfort And Strength For When You Need Hope
Here is a prayer you can say when you need comfort and strength during difficult times and when you need hope:
Lord Jesus, thank you for your grace and mercy in my life. Psalms 103:19 says You have established Your throne in heaven, and Your Kingdom rules over all. Lord, You are God, and there is none like you. Your ways are not ours, and Your thoughts are not like ours. You are higher than anyone or anything, and Your eternal comfort empowers us all to live a life full of strength.
Lord, please forgive me for being prideful, demanding, or feeling entitled to my wants and desires. I know what I want, and when I get to the point where I am afraid and hurt, I want You to change it immediately. But if Your thoughts are not like mine, and You are sovereign over everything, I know I need to trust you instead of saying prayers with an entitled heart. I am sorry about that. Please show me a better way.
I am grateful you know my troubled heart and you hear my prayers. In John 14:13-17 (NKJV), Your Word says, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” Lord, I ask that you be my source of strength during this difficult time, and you will mend my broken heart. I ask that through the Power of the Holy Spirit, I will see you move in my circumstances and life so that I may make the right decisions and comfort others.
I know You are a God of love, and you do not want to see anyone in this world perish. Lord I am in need of your healing touch. Thank you for always being with me and guiding me down the narrow path. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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