You've carried a lot lately.
Maybe you haven't said it out loud,
But God knows.
He sees the weight on your shoulders.
He sees the quiet battles you fight when no one's watching.
I want you to take a deep,
Full breath in through your nose.
Hold it for a moment.
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Let your jaw unclench,
And let your hands rest.
Let all of the thoughts you're having slow down and be here in this moment.
As you breathe,
I want you to whisper this in your heart.
God,
I'm here,
And I need your strength.
The word says in Isaiah 40.
31,
But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
And they shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
In this moment,
This is you waiting on him,
The Lord.
The world tells people to be hard,
Unfeeling,
And self-resilient,
But our Lord calls you to a different kind of power.
Strength isn't just pretending you're fine.
It's standing firm in our faith when you feel weak.
It's choosing to be patient when anger would be easier.
It's choosing to show up for your family and those you love with humility and not pride.
You are not made to carry everything alone.
Even Jesus withdrew to pray when he needed to.
Now I want you to take a deep breath and imagine the weight on your chest being lifted,
Like God is taking it off of you.
He's not disappointed in you,
But rather he's proud that you came to him instead of giving up.
As we breathe,
I want you to listen to these words from 1 Corinthians 16.
13.
Be watchful,
Stand firm in the faith,
And act like men,
Be strong.
Now this verse doesn't mean you have to be unbreakable.
It just means standing firm on the truth when the world around you shakes.
It means letting love,
Not fear,
Lead your actions.
Right now,
Imagine putting on the spiritual armor of God as you breathe in and out slowly.
Your belt of truth keeps you steady and solid,
Your breastplate of righteousness sits guarding your heart,
Your shield of faith helps you deflect doubt and fear,
Your sword of the Spirit,
God's words,
Reminding you who you are.
You are not just enduring life,
You are equipped to walk through it with courage from our Lord.
Now I want you to repeat these slowly in your mind or out loud if that's what you prefer.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
God's power is made perfect in my weakness.
I am strong because I stand on his word and not my own pride.
I lead with love and not ego.
The Lord renews my strength every morning.
Now I want you to let each one of these sink in and not as performance,
But as a truth.
I want you to take a few more deep,
Steady breaths as I pray this over you.
Father,
Thank you for being our strength when we have none left.
Thank you that I don't have to prove my worth and you already have my worth.
Teach us to lead with love and with compassion and courage and for us to rest in your hands when we feel worn out.
Let our strength come from surrendering and not by striving.
Amen.
Now I want you to sit for a moment in the quiet.
Do you notice the steadiness in your chest?
That's peace,
That's our Lord.
And as you go back into your day,
I want you to remember that you don't have to be the strongest person in the room.
You just have to stay connected to the source of strength himself.
You are seen,
You are chosen,
And you are strong in the Lord.
Thank you for listening.
