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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

When You Have a Burden But Don’t Want to Be One

AskingForPrayer

My email was supposed to be a prayer request, but it started out sounding more like an apology. Although we needed friends to pray, I was hesitant to ask because I didn’t want my request to be a burden for anyone.

A few years ago my husband J.J. was having health problems and needed to have a liver biopsy. His doctor told us it was  precautionary, so we weren’t sure if it would end up being anything serious in the end. And that made me hesitant to tell people about it. Yet I knew I didn’t want to walk through it alone or in my own strength.

Fifteen minutes after I sent my email, several friends started telling me they were praying. Not only did my friends pray – they thanked me for sharing what was going on and for letting them be there for me.

For someone who hates to impose on others, I need to remember that asking for prayer isn’t about putting burdens on my friends. Asking for prayer is about letting our friends walk by our side down a path that we were  never intended to walk alone. {today’s post is a partial excerpt from my #AConfidentHeart #Devotional book}

Is it hard to ask others to pray for you?

Let’s stretch ourselves today and let others walk beside us  in prayer by sharing a burden and then praying for one another. Briefly share one things we can pray for you by clicking “Share Your Heart” below this post. Then  leave a prayer or say “I’ve prayed for you” under the request left before yours. Ready.Set.Pray.

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Comments

  1. I’m praying for you and your husband Kara. I am praying you both first will put God first in all things, trust in Him to find your husband a job, show your husband how valuable he is to God, and that you will both put each other first when trying to resolve the ‘balancing’ act of the financial issues. God always has the perfect plan! Be encouraged, be blessed!

    I am asking for prayer for my husband as well. He has trouble trusting God with his whole heart, and still thinks he needs to help God in his plan for his life. He has gotten more and more testy, angry, and hot-headed, and hard to live with steadily over our 39 years of marriage. Instead of each decade getting worse, I would like this to be the decade of real change for the better. And for my husband to have a desire to know the Word and to really know God.
    Thank you!
    Susan

  2. Please for better communication between my husband and myself. We’ve been married almost a year, I’m 54 & he’s 66, so thus us not our first round. Honesty and willingness ..thank you. I have prayed iver these requests.

  3. I pray for each and everyone of you for blessings and the Holy Spirit leading each one under his guidance and steps. For we are promised that God will never leave nor forsake us. GOD bless you all!!

  4. My biggest struggle right now is my husbands unemployment . Often in our 23 years marriage he has gone through periods of unemployment. I worry about his frame of mind as we go through this. He is questioning his career, ability and his purpose. Please pray God will provide employment that will provide for our household. Also pray for our marriage this is extremely hard for him but hard for me as well going to one income and trying to balance all things.

    • Kara:
      I prayed for your husband to find work that would enable him to provide for his family.

    • Kara,
      My husband and I just came out of the same situation. He was out of work for months and had to take a contract job 2 states away to make ends meet for much less pay. He came home on the weekends which were so short-lived as he had a 4+hour drive. This lasted a year. It was difficult but we kept praying for God’s will in where He wanted him to be. My husband prayed for God to close the doors where He did not want my husband to be and there were many. This tested my husband’s trust in the Lord and he started to question himself too, but a wise friend told him God already has the place for him. We thanked God for what he was doing ahead of time and kept our focus on how He wanted to grow us through this. As the Word says He will bring good out of our troubles. We have all grown so much, including our kids, as the Lord has just recently brought my husband home to a fantastic job only 15 minutes from our house! Continue to trust and seek God as He takes care of those who seek Him wholeheartedly. He has great plans for your family! He wants your whole hearts and grow you through this! I am praying for you and your husband as he needs encouragement from you. It is difficult but we can do all things through Him who strengthens us!

  5. I am struggling with listening to and waiting on God where my career is concerned. I want to be in his will in all areas of my life.

    • “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This Is The Way; Walk In It.–Isaiah 30:21

      I am also trying to listen for God’s direction to do His will and not my own in my career and other paths.
      Be still and listen. Hard to do, how well I know. But His word will be brought to your ear.
      God bless.

    • Renee:

      I’m praying for your future that the right doors would be opened and it be clear to you which path would best honor God.

  6. I am struggling with listening yo and waiting on God where my career is concerned. I want to be in his will in all areas of my life.

  7. Thank you for the opportunity to pray together.
    I ask for prayer for a new relationship. I re-connected with someone from my past and feel that this is a good relationship. One of the first things that he said to me was that he was thanking God that I contacted him and he feels that this is God’s will for us. We have been communicating and went on a wonderful first few dates, but now things seem distant. I pray that God will keep the door open for this relationship and that he will open hearts and open communication. I ask that you will pray in agreement that God will continue to bless us. I ask this in Jesus name. Thank you.

  8. It has been a very hard time following my divorce and the time has come that we need to move out of our current home. However with a very limited budget and a time crunch for being out of the house I am not sure where to go to next. Please pray for clarity on this matter and also for some financial relief. Thank you

    • Jill,
      New beginnings are very difficult. I pray for wisdom for you and discernment in decisions that you will be making, where you will be living. I pray over the home that God has in mind for you, in the neighborhood that God has planned, and for new friends to guide you, both in your church and in your new neighborhood.

  9. I am needing prayer for my marriage. Hurtful things have happened and been said and we need healing in our relationship. We have a 17 month old that I don’t want to be hurt by our arguments but I’m not ready to give up either. Sometimes I just don’t see how it’s going to work though…

  11. My struggle is trusting The Lord in the process of my healing. My heart hurts and I tend to jump ahead to what it will look like after I am healed!
    Thank you

  12. I ask for prayer for my husband for he has strongholds and a hard heart. I ask that you will pray that God will turn my husband’s heart toward him and me again. Being that the enemy has turned him to go off feelings instead of unconditional love. I am praying for a miracle,blessing,and favor that God will heal and restore our marriage.

    • Praying that God will soften your husband’s heart and restore your marriage and that until then he will hold you tightly in His arms and be your comfort and strength.

    • Sheri,
      I am praying for your marriage as well as for your husband. May both of your hearts be turned to God, throughout this struggle. I pray that your family will heal through prayers on your behalf. As you read your bible daily, I pray for encouragement for you in what you read.

  13. I’ve been going through a rough journey. Maybe one of the most difficult ones I’ve endured in my entire life.
    I lost everything and I’m starting over. That is not the difficult part. The most painful of this journey is that my oldest son landed himself in jail for making the worst decisions ever. It hurts me to see him in this place however, he must endure it so he may learn from his mistakes. He is in a Florida jail while I live in New Jersey. How do I go see him? My finances are depleted by bills and providing for my 16 year old. I need prayer. I need courage and strength..
    Also…

    I need prayer that I stay on track with Jesus! I have been on my own since 15 and I really don’t have any self-discipline. My relationship with God is important to me. I need to stay consistent and on fire for him to get me through all of my trials and tribulations. Let my faith heal me..

    • Praying for you, Lisa, that God will give you great wisdom and grace in how to handle your children and your finances. Lean on God’s Word – He has the answers for all of your issues. Praying that you are in (or can find) a church that you can be involved in where you can be ministered to and shepherded, as well as be able to minister to others!

    • Listen very carefully to the words by Matt Redman, song is called “Your Grace Finds Me” and remember to Let Go, Let God.
      Blessings to you and prayers are winging their way to God’s ever listening and always loving ears on your behalf.

    • Lisa,
      First of all, I am praying for you, that you will have a personal relationship with Jesus. I pray that you will be daily into God’s Word and learn from it. I pray that through the reading of God’s Word, you will find encouragement in your journey and also realize that even the heroes (don’t know what else to call them) of the Bible also had sons and daughters that didn’t follow God and made poor decisions. I pray that even in Jail, your son will meet someone who will lead him to the Lord and that he will now start to read the Bible for himself.

      • Pat H. Thank you so very much for your love and your prayers.
        Both of my children grew up in the church. As a single mother I have always been the one to provide and suffer. But, my two boys always knew how to stop me in the midst of crying or even a breakdown and tell me, “mom, let me pray for you! Or mom, lets pray!”
        I strayed from my church because I was hurt by the church. So, once I strayed, my children strayed also.
        Sometimes I feel that my son being in jail is my fault. What could I have done to save him from this?

        I know that I am going to get through this. Jesus is my comfort. I started going back to church and I’m in my bible every single day. I feel the fullness of God within my trials.
        I’m praying also that my son rekindle his relationship with God. He recently called me and asked me to send him some scriptures he can read. That made my heart sing..
        One way or the other we will be fine. We will grow as a family and be happier that we had invited God back into our lives because we can’t do anything without him.

    • Lisa,
      Remember Isaiah 40:10
      “I am your GOD! I will strengthen you & help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”.
      Do not let go – when He closes a door, He opens a window.
      Praying for you and will continue to do so that you will experience His loving care – always.

  14. Praying for you – pray that we remember that we can share anything with others in prayer. We all have unmentioned prayer request. God already knows.

    Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!

  15. I am having a difficult time with balancing a busy life and relating to my teenaged daughter. We constantly battle over poor social media choices and her constant defiance. I have not forgotten what it was like to be a teenager although we did not have these media outlets and obsessions with insta fame. I get so frustrated from having our trust broken time and time again. We both desire a better relationship but have yet to see the day.

    • Katina:
      I have prayed for you and your precious daughter. May you be the Mom she needs and may her heart be softened to your teaching and counsel. Hold fast. Pray without ceasing and this too shall pass.

  16. I will be undergoing a total shoulder replacement on March 19th. I love being able to pray for others but tend to have a difficult time asking for prayer for myself. So with that said, I would certainly appreciate your prayers for a safe and successful surgery and a quick recovery! Thank you SO MUCH!!!

    • Cindy,
      My prayer is that God will guide your surgical team for a successful surgery. May your healing be complete and without complications . God keep her in perfect peace as she trusts in you during this time, Amen!

      • Cindy,
        I too, pray for the Doctors, the Surgical Nurses and all the staff that will be assisting in the surgery. I pray that they have steady hands and wisdom that comes from God in doing your surgery. I also pray for your healing after the surgery. Amen.

    • Cindy,
      I know it is a major surgery and a rather long recovery because my husband had this done
      I have prayed that God will put out His right hand to sustain and heal you, give grace and wisdom to the Doctors and the nursing staff to strengthen and guide them,
      May He surround you with His unfailing love, and keep you strong in your faith for a safe and successful surgery. Amen

  17. I’ve prayed for you….I have been learning that it is not how much I accomplish in a day that is important….but it is being who God wants me to be…I too struggle with using time wisely …..I am doing a Confident Heart book study with two young ladies…just want you to know what a blessing your book has been In my life and now for these two young ladies…thank you for being faithful.

    • Praying for you Linda and the two young ladies you are studying A Confident Heart with.

  18. As I discover that God never really left me, it was the other way around, I need prayers that God will use me to assist my son in finding Him for the first time. I admit to being a decent mom… except for letting my now grown son experience God’s light and grace consistently as he grew into a man. He had a good heart, but hides his light under the proverbial basket. He has not learned enough about his Heavenly Father in his formative years so he doesn’t have the relationship with God that he needs to have or that God would like to have with him. He doubts His existence and, yet, is seemingly willing to accept Him if ‘there really is a God” to love. I pray every day that God will use me to bring the two of them closer. I model for him–much better than when he was young–using cleaner language, I talk about church events, and he has even pitched in once at a cleanup day at my church, which is expanding in building size. Please, pray for my son that he will discover his God, or at least ask more questions and search to find Him, and if I can be a tool to bring the two of them together, I am more than willing. Please, dear Heavenly Father, touch his heart and mind with your Spirit so that he may find you in the darkness. He is a good man, just wasn’t given the opportunity to seek and find you with his mother’s help. Help me to help him find you, God. I ask this in your Son’s most holy and precious name, Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen.

      • Susan,
        I am praying right now for your son and my two daughters and granddaughters as well. Our greatest desire as a parent/grandparent is that our children follow God and have a personal relationship with Jesus. It is so hard to watch them walk away, when we tried the best we could at the time raising them to know the Lord. I pray for your son’s choice of friends and that someone will come in to his life to invite him to a Bible Believing Church. Amen

    • Father I pray peace for Susan’s heart and confidence in your promise that her household shall be saved in Jesus Name!

    • Father, I pray for Susan and her son. Please bring them both closer to you. In Jesus name.

  20. I’ll go first. Hmmm. It’s hard to decide what to share… ok, here goes: I struggle with staying focused on one task at a time, and staying off social media. I love connecting with people but work from home {alone} most days. I feel like I never have enough hours in my day or days in my weeks, and I’m not getting enough sleep. I’m also not exercising at all. I know God wants me to better balance and manage my time and work. I finally have the help I need (with an assistant) but my personality thrives on activity and has a really hard time creating margin and setting boundaries for myself. There you go.

    I feel exposed but I believe in prayer. Im confident that sharing this burden is going to help overcome this struggle for me. Now it’s your turn.

    Can’t wait to pray for you!! 🙂

    • Dear Father in Heaven: Bless Renee in her good works for your glory and our enlightenment, our ponderances together, and our own searches for You. Help her to find that balance she is seeking, that she can continue being your most exhuberant disciple and, yet, continue loving and serving her own family and close friends. It is difficult. God, as You know, we humans can fall a bit short in all areas of our lives. Please, Gracious God, assist her with her work for Your Glory and still be the wonderful mother, wife,and friend that you have helped mold her to be. Have your Spirit be with her, touch her head and heart when she needs gentle reminding, and continue to guide her through this earthly path You have chosen for her and that she has accepted. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the blessings already bestowed on her and her own, and keep her in your loving arms, always. In your Son’s most holy and sacred name I pray these things to you, Amen.

    • Sharing our struggles with one another does expose us and it’s never comfortable- but God is so merciful and His balm is so soothing and healing comes so quickly it’s only painful for a moment. I prayed for you Renee.

    • I am also having trouble with too much social media, because I have lost my courage to reach out to God;s people. My trust is at the bottom of a very deep pit. Betrayal is surely a sin birthed in hell. But I know that this is not a place I can stay, so I’m asking for prayer for restoration of my soul and an ability to trust again.
      I so identify with too little exercise, staying focused and finishing tasks, so I will pray for you when i find myself facing these things. Oh yeh, I also have trouble staying focused in prayer. Wow, what a mess, huh? Appreciate you! Evelyn

    • Renee,
      I am praying for you right now, and for all of us that know we need to get more exercise, but find excuses not to. I pray that each one of us will allow God to control our bodies and nudge us to exercise. I am thankful for my small prayer group (of 4) that meet at my home twice a month to pray for each other a for the concerns of others.

    • Yes and Yes….I have your personality….I go, go, go and don’t have time left for relaxation and for doing what I know the Lord wants me to do. I am on the computer finding information to help in my endeavor instead of taking what I already have and applying it. I’ve prayed to the Holy Spirit to guide me…..to give me incentive for exercise and inspire me to eat well and take better care of myself. It is working! I’ve begun change and though I know change doesn’t occur overnight….I’m encouraged and can see the Lord working in my life. I have great peace about it all…now I’m working on discipline and I know God is giving me strength to make new habits and live life more for Him. I’ll pray for you….

    • Renee, you are such a blessing to me! I have prayed for you, sweet girl! I love your openness and your dedication to serve!