Key Scripture
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” – Psalm 34:18 (NKJV)

Reflection

When I look back at that season, what stands out most is the weight. Not just emotional heaviness, but something physical—like pressure pressing down on my neck, shoulders, back, and chest. It felt as if gravity itself had increased. Anxiety crept into everything. I found myself reacting to small, trivial matters, raising my voice in ways that were completely unlike me. Normally, I am careful with my words, measured and controlled. In those moments, I barely recognized myself.

What made it even more unsettling was the awareness that I couldn’t stop it. It was as if I were watching someone else go through it, unable to intervene. Sleep became something I dreaded. Each night felt like entering a battlefield. I knew, though I couldn’t yet explain it, that something would come to drain me further, leaving just enough strength to get through the next day. It was a constant push and pull, never enough rest, never complete collapse.

Looking back now through the lens of Christ, I understand what I could not then. There were demonic attachments at work. Yet even in that darkness, God was sustaining me. He knew my heart. He did not allow me to lose the breath of life He had given me. The battle was almost entirely internal. On the outside, few people ever noticed. Even those closest to me saw only fragments. Inside, my mind was overloaded every moment, day and night.

If you are carrying that same weight now, hear this: peace can only enter the heart through the One who created it. There is no substitute. The love God has for you surpasses every earthly comparison, even in its smallest measure. He is not distant from your pain. He is near, even when the weight feels unbearable.

Today’s Steps

• Take a moment to acknowledge any heaviness you’ve been carrying without naming it.
• Pray honestly, without filtering your words, and ask God to reveal what you were never meant to carry alone.
• Read Psalm 34 slowly and rest in the truth that the Lord draws near to the broken-hearted.

Prayer

“Lord, You see the weight I carried and the battles no one else saw. Thank You for sustaining me even when I didn’t understand what was happening. Teach me to bring every burden to You, trusting that You alone are the source of true peace. Amen.”

Journal Prompt

Where in your life do you feel a heaviness, you cannot explain? How might God be inviting you to release that weight into His care?