A Prayer to Overcome What’s Holding You Back - Your Daily Prayer - September 16
A Prayer to Overcome What’s Holding You Back
By Alisha Headley
Bible Reading
“But forget all that – it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness, I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (Psalm 30:5)
Listen or Read Below:
There are times in life when the thing standing between us and where God is leading us isn’t necessarily a closed door—it’s something we’re carrying inside. Fear. Insecurity. Disappointment. The need for control. The opinions of other people. A past version of ourselves we can’t seem to let go of. Sometimes it’s even the memory of what happened the last time we stepped out in faith and things didn’t turn out the way we prayed they would. I know what it feels like to want to move forward while simultaneously being afraid to do so. I had 5 miscarriages, experiencing loss after loss, yet I still felt the Lord was calling me to keep trying for kids. The memory of what happened the last several times had me in a place of fear that the road to get there would continue to cause me pain. While I feel He is leading me to take the next step, I can’t help but still grip on the hard experience that is behind me. I want to trust God with what is ahead despite my past experience and disappointment, but I also want the security of knowing exactly how everything will turn out.
Maybe you can relate. In Isaiah 43, God tells His people not to remain focused on what has already happened because He is doing something new. And I love the question He asks: “Do you not see it?” Sometimes, I wonder if we don’t see what God is doing because we’re still looking backward. Past disappointment can make us afraid to hope again. Failure can make us hesitant to try again. Rejection can convince us we aren’t qualified. Comparison can make us question whether we’re already too far behind. And fear can stop us right where we are, where we don’t do anything until we’ve spent months—or even years—talking ourselves out of the very thing God has been nudging us toward.
But God says, “I am about to do something new.” That doesn’t mean we pretend the past didn’t happen. It means we refuse to allow what happened before to determine what we believe God is capable of doing next. That truth has become deeply personal to me. Some of the biggest steps of faith in my own life haven’t happened because I suddenly stopped being afraid. They happened when I decided that trusting God mattered more than obeying my fear.
And maybe that’s where you find yourself today. Maybe you’ve been waiting until you feel confident enough, healed enough, prepared enough, or certain enough to move forward. Maybe something happened that made you afraid to hope again, like me, experiencing loss after loss. Maybe you can sense God calling you toward something new, but part of you is still holding tightly to what feels familiar. Notice what else God promises in today’s Scripture: “I will make a pathway through the wilderness.” He doesn’t say we have to create the pathway ourselves. Our responsibility is to trust the One who does. You don’t need to see the entire road before taking the next faithful step. You don’t need every question answered. And you don’t have to wait until fear completely disappears.
Sometimes overcoming what’s holding us back begins with one simple act of surrender: God, I’m scared, but I trust You more. God can redeem what happened behind you. He can heal what hurt you. He can restore hope where disappointment has taken root. And He can make a pathway through circumstances where you currently cannot see one. So today, ask Him to show you what you’ve been carrying that He never asked you to keep carrying. And then trust Him enough to release it. Let’s not let the past stop us from stepping into the new plan God has for us.
Let’s Pray
Dear Father,
You know exactly what has been holding me back, even the things I have struggled to admit to myself. You see every fear, insecurity, disappointment, wound, and doubt I’ve carried. You know where my past has made me hesitant to move forward and where I’ve allowed fear to speak louder than Your promises. Lord, reveal anything in me that I need to release and surrender to you. If I’m holding onto fear, replace it with faith. If I’m holding onto disappointment, restore my hope. If I’m comparing my life to someone else’s, remind me that You have written a story specifically for me and that story is beautiful. And if I’m clinging to control, teach me to trust You with what I cannot see. Help me believe Your promise that You are doing something new, even when I cannot see it yet. When the road ahead feels like a wilderness, remind me that You are the One who makes the pathway. I don’t have to know every step. I only need enough faith to follow You into the next one. I don’t want fear to make my decisions for me any longer or keep me in a place where I do nothing. I don’t want insecurity to shrink the life You are calling me to live. And I don’t want past pain to keep me from receiving something new simply because I’m afraid of being disappointed again. Today, I surrender what has been holding me back. Give me the courage to move forward. Help me trust that You are already ahead of me, preparing the way. I believe You are still writing my story. Help me walk forward with faith, courage, and an open heart toward whatever You have for me next.
In Jesus’s name we pray,
Amen.
Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Shashank Sahay
Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
You can follow her blog by visiting her website alishaheadley.com or connect with her on facebook + instagram.
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