When life breaks us down, His presence is still the place of healing.
Life can be a battlefield, and the suffering we endure is often heavier than we could ever have imagined. It blindsides us, knocks the wind out of our souls, and leaves our hearts shredded into pieces. What once looked like a blessing can turn into a burden—the kind of burden that feels like it might break us. Many of us have cried relentless tears, whispering words that are outside the unshakable faith we know we ought to have, “this just isn’t fair…I don’t understand why it’s happening to me.” We can’t make sense of it. We feel stranded in our pain, as if the very God we trusted to protect us has allowed the storm to rage on. We cry out, “Lord, why didn’t you tell me this would end this way—why didn’t you spare me?”
And yet, even there—in the ache, in the questioning, in the middle of what feels like a holy silence—God is closer than our breath. Psalm 34:18 (NLT) tells us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” His nearness doesn’t always mean He stops the storm, but it does mean He’s holding us through it.
Wrestling With the Silence
And if we’re being real, sometimes knowing that “He’s holding us through it” doesn’t feel like enough. When the silence stretches long, and those questions still linger in the air, it can feel like God is far away instead of near. We read that He is close, yet our hearts wonder,“If You’re close, why can’t I feel You? If You care, why haven’t You answered?” That’s the wrestle of faith—separating feelings from truth. It’s dealing with the space between tribulation and victory.
That’s the stretching. It’s where faith takes on another layer. It’s not just believing for miracles when everything lines up—it’s trusting Him when nothing makes sense. It’s learning how to maneuver in the silence, to keep showing up at His feet even when our prayers feel like they bounce off the ceiling. Habakkuk knew this feeling when he cried out, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen!” (Habakkuk 1:2 NLT). And yet, later he declared, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord!” (Habakkuk 3:17–18, NLT)
Sometimes it takes suffering to expose the hidden doubts we didn’t even know we were carrying. Trials have a way of peeling back the layers of our hearts, pulling into the light what we would rather leave buried. James 1:3 (NLT) tells us, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” And in 1 Peter 1:7 (NLT), we’re reminded that trials prove our faith to be genuine. Troubles and tribulations don’t come from the hand of our Heavenly Father, but what they uncover isn’t meant to condemn us—it’s meant to refine us, so that our trust in Him comes out purer, deeper, and stronger on the other side.
He Sees It All
The Word tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT), “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Every single care. The silent tears that stain our pillows. The anger we hide behind our smiles. The wounds we keep bandaged because we’re too afraid to let Him touch them. He sees it all, and He’s not asking for you to respond perfectly—He’s asking for permission to transform you into what He created you to be.
Revelation 3:20 (NLT) gives us the picture:“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” A meal means closeness, it means conversation, it means leaning into His presence. That’s the friendship Jesus Christ longs for with us—not distant, not surface-level, but real, steady, heart-to-heart.
Nothing Is Too Hard for God
And here’s the hope we can hold onto: He can handle it all. Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT) declares,“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Nothing—not the heaviness you carry, not the questions you’re too scared to ask, not the brokenness you’ve tried to hide. The Creator knows His creation, every detail of who we are—our highs, our lows, our flaws, and our brilliance. His love doesn’t push its way in, but the moment we call—the moment we whisper His name, He’s there—not just to listen, but to stay. That’s the kind of God He is: faithful, near, and ready to carry every heavy heart that dares to bring its weight to Him.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I bring You my questions, my struggles, and even the doubts I don’t always want to admit. Thank You for seeing past the surface and loving me through every trial and tribulation. Strengthen my faith where it feels weak. Refine me, not to break me down, but to build me up in You. Teach me to trust that You are working all things for my good, even when I don’t understand. I open the door of my heart to You again today. Thank you for staying with me, guiding me, and helping me to walk in the strength and power of Your Spirit. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Bring Your Heavy Hearts to God”, written for aheartforchristdevotions@blogspot.com by Kraiapril©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
