For When Life Feels Heavy and God Feels Out of Reach

I acknowledge that you are in a tough place right now. You are struggling with the heaviness of life and the sorrow of feeling alone. I see you, right where you are. Let’s sit together in this moment and acknowledge the struggle. Embrace the difficulty of the emotions surrounding this moment. Welcome. You are wanted here. 

Some days feel heavier than others. The weight sits in your chest, and even breathing feels like effort. On those days, it can feel like God is far away—like your prayers are hitting the ceiling and falling back down in silence. If that’s where you are right now, I want to remind you of this: even in the silence, even in the heaviness, God has not let go of you.

Before you continue reading, grab something comfortable. A fuzzy blanket, your favorite sweater, or maybe a cup of tea. 

Release your jaw and relax your shoulders. 

Okay, let’s begin.

If you need a visual of how to do the deep breathing, watch this short video!

Let’s take some deep breaths

Lift your right hand and spread out your fingers to do some five-finger breathing. You are going to slowly breathe in as your left hand traces your fingers on your right hand. Breathe in as your left hand reaches the tip of your thumb and breathe out as you go down the other side of your thumb. Repeat on all your fingers and back again to your thumb. Take your time. Breathe deep. Maybe close your eyes as your fingers journey back from the pinky finger. Now, switch hands and repeat. 

Read a scripture with me

It’s okay to say you’re weary. It’s okay to admit you feel distant, angry, or unsure. God is not afraid of your honesty—He invites it. The Psalms are full of prayers that sound raw and unfiltered, proof that bringing our real emotions to God is not a failure of faith but an act of trust. I would like to continue by inviting you to read this scripture outloud, silently if that is more comfortable for you. 

Psalms 139 (NIV)

You have searched me, Lord,

    and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

    you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

    you, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before,

    and you lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

    and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

    the night will shine like the day,

    for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

    they would outnumber the grains of sand—

    when I awake, I am still with you.

 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!

    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!

They speak of you with evil intent;

    your adversaries misuse your name.

Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,

    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

I have nothing but hatred for them;

    I count them my enemies.

Search me, God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting.

Acknowledge where you are at

The feelings you have are real, uncomfortable, and raw. You are allowed to feel them, acknowledge them and name those feelings. Naming what hurts—sadness, fear, doubt, even frustration—creates space for God to meet you there. You don’t have to pretend to be okay in His presence. 

Take a moment and say out loud how you feel right now. Is it grief, sorrow, anger, sadness? Name it. Take our time

There is no wrong way to do this. We don’t want to dwell on these feelings, but we also don’t want to let them fester and bottle them up. Experience the feelings, acknowledge the sensation, and put a name to it.

Invite God into the space

Think of those words you used to describe how you feel. Place them in the blanks below and say it out loud. We are inviting God into these feelings. God is not a distant God or a ruthless God. He can and will sit with you in your pain.

I invite you to pray this prayer out loud if you are comfortable. It is perfectly acceptable to pray silently in your heart if that feels better for you. 

God, father in heaven, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;  you are familiar with all my ways. Right now, I feel heavy with________, _________, __________, and ___________. I am like a rock in a raging river being hit by the neverending current. I cannot stay grounded on my own. I have tried to grip the earth with my own strength and it has failed me. The rushing waves are too much for me alone. I need your strength to anchor me. God, please sit with me in this moment and help me to feel the Holy Spirit surrounding me. Guide me through this pain with your loving grace. 

Be seen, be known

Lay down if that seems comfortable to you. Let your body rest on the ground, couch, bed, wherever you are. Close your eyes and just breathe. Listen to your breath. Think about the words you just said. Focus on God. Take your time.

Prayer to close

You have searched me God and you know me. You created me in my mother’s womb. Search me God, know my heart. I ask you to become an anchor in my thoughts. To be my strength when I am weak. To be my comfort in times of trouble. Find me in the darkness, for darkness is not dark to you. God, I ask you to take this heaviness in my heart. Bring me into your light. Amen

Gentle Reminder

Thank you for being here. Return as needed. When life feels heavy and God feels out of reach, may you remember: the distance you feel is not the reality. God is nearer than your breath. And even here—in the tired, messy middle—you are deeply loved.

With Warmth,

Teresa

The Healing Homebody