How to Release the Heaviness You Feel in Your Heart
“Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah.” ~Psalm 62:8
Hidden emotions, the sting of rejection, hurtful words, jealousy, anger, bitterness, the ache of loneliness and disappointment—all can take residence in our hearts at various times in our lives and masquerade themselves while we attempt to put big smiles on our faces and act as if nothing is wrong. Meanwhile, internally, we can struggle to express the pain that we feel. It can be quite wearing carrying the weight of our emotions. Are you weighed down and experiencing the burden of holding on to emotions that are burrowed in your heart?
There is a freedom that takes place when we choose to release whatever it is we hold inside to the Lord. Although man may fail us, God never will. We can trust Him implicitly as we release what we are clinging to over to the ONE who is always there and cares deeply. He will never break our trust, and His love is unfailing.
God’s heart is pleased when we come before Him with the very things that concern us.
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book.” Psalm 56:8. The Father sees our tears, every single one, puts them in His bottle, and records them in His book. Take time to think about that…The God of the Universe keeps track of every tear. Not one tear that falls from our eyes escapes His sight.
An image of this came to me recently after the area I live in has experienced almost constant rainfall for several weeks. When I was looking out the window, it reminded me about the tears that “rain down” from our eyes…the tears that maybe no one else sees. Although there are some raindrops that fall that we never see, God sees each drop of “rain” that we cry. He cares enough to record them in His book. Yes, tears from all over the world—they are not overlooked.
This truth should encourage us to pour out our hearts to the Lord.
The words, “pour out”, don’t mean giving some of our hurts to God. They mean giving all. “David says, ‘I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell Him my trouble.’” Psalm 142:1-2. As we cry out to Jesus, I visualize turning our hearts toward Him and “pouring” the tears that no one else sees into His hands—His nail-scarred hands. Yes, Jesus understands. He was rejected. He was spat upon. He was misunderstood. He took the weight of the world’s sin on Himself, so we could have the opportunity to have eternal life and live a life of freedom (John 3:16).
Because HE OVERCAME, we can too.
He forgave, conquered death, the enemy, and holds the keys to the Kingdom. Because He endured and suffered, we can know that He empathizes with the pain that we feel and that He wants us to rise above in His strength and live a life of freedom.
Pouring our hearts to God is an act of worship. Not only can we pour out our disappointments, frustrations, or hurts, but we can also pour out our praise as an offering to the Lord. Even in our brokenness, we can praise the Lord for who He is: an unfailing Father who loves us unconditionally and who wants the best for us.
This act of pouring is also an act of surrender…Releasing all our pain in the midst of our praise…Recognizing that He is the ONE who can heal us from the inside out. God can miraculously transform us as He can turn our heart of stone (hardened hearts) into a heart of flesh (soft and tender) (Ezekiel 36:26).
But, it doesn’t end there!
As we pour out the burdens that we carry to the Lord, He pours back in to us! And, the exchange is beyond compare. “And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace or unmerited favor and supplication…” Zechariah 12:10.
As we release what we hold in our hearts to our Heavenly Father, He can also fill our hearts with His everlasting love and forgiveness. When we receive the forgiveness of Jesus and understand how much He forgives us, it makes it easier to release the offenses that come our way, and, in turn, have love toward the very people who have hurt us through the power of the Holy Spirit. “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5.
Once we come to the place where we open our hearts wide open before God and let Him love us to life and wholeness, we can feel the weight that we have been carrying lifted. Our lives become living expressions of His grace and mercy. What has been weighing you down inside? Although a multitude of things can fill our hearts with heaviness, God wants to carry the burdens we feel and lift us above the circumstances that we face. Let’s live free.
“Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You.” ~Psalm 38:9
“Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of Your wings.” ~Psalm 36:5-7