What is the heaviest thing you have ever lifted? I read an article recently about two mothers who single-handedly lifted a 1.1-ton car off of a young boy in order to save his life. They heard his screams for help and that incredible momma-bear strength kicked in and they lifted the heavy weight. Amazing!
Now, maybe you haven’t had to lift a car lately, but as single moms you know what it means to carry something heavy. And often the heaviest weight of all can be our own hearts as we worry about our children.
Every parent worries about their children, but single parents tend to carry around a unique blend of worry that combines with grief. We grieve that our kids don’t have life the way God intended for them. Even though you may be currently burdened with this unique weight, the Bible is full of scriptures about God’s desire for us to give it to him. That’s definitely easier said than done though, right? So today, I want to encourage you to give your worries over to God by reading the psalms. Here are three ways the psalms can lift your heavy heart.
1. The psalms remind us who God is. Take a moment to write down what’s making your heart heavy. Now, read a psalm. Psalms are praises to God, and as you read one, list what it tells you about who God is. For example, if you read Psalm 139,you’ll see that God created you and knows everything about you. He knows your past, present, and future and is with you if you are in Christ. Now look at the worry you wrote down. How does knowing this about God make this worry lighter? Take time to write it down and pray through it.
2. The psalms show us we can be honest with God. The psalms are full of emotions. Some of them are joyful as they praise God for something great that’s happened, but some contain the words of a writer who is upset and hurt. I love how the psalms teach us we can be honest with God about our frustrations (see Psalm 13 for a great example).
3. The psalms remind us to choose to trust God. A common theme you’ll see in the psalms that are a cry for help is that the writer always comes back to choosing to trust God. Psalm 6 is a great example because after the writer pours out his frustrations he confidently says, “The Lord has heard my plea…” (vs. 9). Even though we might feel abandoned or forgotten, we can choose to trust that God hears us.
What can you do if you’re carrying a heavy heart? Open your Bible to the middle and start reading. What psalm has helped you along the way?
