“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” (Rom. 10:1)
Paul said that his “heart’s desire” was that Israel “might be saved.” That is what burdened him. That was what weighed heavily on him. What do you do when you find yourself burdened down with a heavy burden on your heart? We know what Paul did…he prayed!
He said, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God…” Paul turned his desire into a prayer, He turned his burden into a prayer. He took the very thing which was overwhelming him and turned it into a prayer to God. Paul could not save Israel, but he knew God could!
We will all face difficulties and trials in our lives. But God wants us to take our desires, our burdens, and our anxieties, and turn them into prayers. Paul decided the best way to handle the burden he was bearing was to get it from his heart to his lips.
The best Christians are not those who have no burdens, but rather those who have learned how to turn their burdens into prayers. Paul turned his “heart’s desire” into a “prayer to God.” What about Jesus? When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane and was facing His crucifixion, the toughest part of His earthly life, what did He do? He prayed! If Jesus, who was God in the flesh, felt the need to pray, how about us? How much more should WE see the importance of taking our burdens to the Lord in prayer?
How often are we guilty of taking our burdens to everyone else except the Lord? I saw a quote on Facebook that said, “Have you prayed about it as much as you have talked about it?” What a convicting thought.
Whatever your burden is, I want to encourage you to take that burden from your heart to your lips. Turn that “heart’s desire” into a “prayer to God” because He is the One Who can take your burden and give you peace.