Rolling Our Burdens Onto God: Finding Peace in Surrender

Robins chatter on the lawn, delighted after an early morning deluge chased the earthworms from their sleepy hideaways beneath the earth. As I watch them from my chair beside the window, I think of George Müller, who was known for the idea of rolling our burdens onto God.*

Perhaps what I need most today is to roll my heaviest burdens onto the Lord.

We don’t have to carry our burdens and cares alone. God invites us to cast our burdens onto him and allow him to sustain us (see Psalm 55:22).

We don’t have to carry our burdens and cares alone. God invites us to cast our burdens onto him and allow him to sustain us (see Psalm 55:22). Share on X

Rolling Our Burdens Onto God

What does this look like? Let’s consider a few insights to help us release our heaviest burdens.

1. We recognize and name our burdens.

We cannot unburden that which we have not first identified.

What is weighing you down?

Do you feel exhausted, discouraged, fearful, or restless? Is there a specific situation that feels like a heavy burden?

Share this with God. Tell him about it as if you’re talking to a trusted friend.

Often, the simple process of naming your trouble will feel like a burden lifted. God is listening and wants to help you.

2. Let God lift it for you as you surrender to him.

I used to imagine lifting my burdens to God in the palm of my hand.

During a very difficult time, I faced a burden that felt too heavy. I tried to lift it to God, but it seemed to fall back onto my shoulders.

God showed me that when a burden is too heavy for me to lift, he is able to reach down from on high and lift it for me. My role is to open my clenched fists as if enabling the burden to roll off of my open hands and into his hands.

All I need to do is ask, and God will roll the burden off of me and onto him. He does the work. I submit to the process.

Imagine a burden that’s been weighing you down. Talk to God about this burden. Tell him everything as you process your emotions with him. Now, sit with open palms and imagine the burden is in your hands.

Next, imagine God’s strong arm reaching down and lifting it from you. Every time you start to worry about the burden, remind yourself that God has lifted it. It’s in his hands.

3. Repeat this process as many times as needed.

God wants to carry your burdens for you.

However, this doesn’t mean that you won’t need to roll your same burden onto the Lord dozens of times.

Have you ever noticed that you can release a worry into God’s hands, but the next day, you wake up, and the worry has returned?

This happens to all of us. For this reason, God invites us to continue rolling our burdens onto him day after day. Every time your heart feels heavy, open your clenched fists, tell God about your burden, and ask him to lift it from you again.

God never grows tired of caring for you.

Here are three prayers to help you with rolling your burdens onto the Lord.

Prayers to Help With Rolling Our Burdens Onto God

1. God, as I roll these burdens onto you, I thank you for the promise that you will never abandon me (see Deut. 31:6).

Thank God for his promise to stay with you always. He will never leave you. He will never abandon you. Find your strength in this promise. Put your hope in the promise of his nearness as you roll your burdens onto him.

2. Lord, thank you for being my refuge, fortress, and shelter (see Psalm 91:1).

God promises to be a shelter (Psalm 91:1). He offers rest in the shadow of his wings (Psalm 63:7). He promises to fill me with streams of Living Water (John 7:38). Thank God for being your shelter in times of weakness. You will soon find him answering your prayer with his ever-present provision.

3. God, thank you for offering me deep comfort—for caring for me as a mother cares for her child (see Isaiah 66:13).

A child leans into his mother’s safe arms and finds security in her presence. He finds strength because he trusts his mother. We find strength in God when we place our full trust in the security of his everlasting arms.

Final Thoughts:

I invite you to walk through today’s exercise of rolling your burdens onto God.

God is showing you how to bring his kingdom to earth by teaching you to lean on him. Learn for yourself and then carry his love to others as you help others find the same healing.

A Free Devotional to Help Us With Rolling Our Burdens Onto God

I have a gift for you today: my free 31-day devotional Mornings With Jesus. Mornings With Jesus is not your average daily devotional—it is so much more! In addition to daily readings and reflection questions, it also offers a special section at the end of each post called “Your Invitation to Encounter God and Begin Well.” These exercises will help you actually encounter the Living God during your quiet time. Instead of asking $9.99, I’m offering this devotional for free with promo code JESUS for a limited time right here.

Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!

As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.

God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.

Devotionals for Girls

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.

All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.

Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!