5 Bible Verses When You Feel Like a Burden

5 Bible Verses When You Feel Like a Burden

“I wish I didn’t feel like a burden all the time” (“Wishes,” Tiny Habits).

I happened to stumble upon the song, “Wishes” by Tiny Habits a few days ago. After listening to the song, I felt very seen as an individual. It gave me comfort to know I’m not the only one who struggles with feeling like a burden all the time. These types of feelings are not easy to cope with as they can destroy our entire self-view and self-worth.

Feeling like a burden will make us feel as though we don’t matter or we are a problem. I have personally felt like a burden for most of my life due to the way my parents treated me. I was seen as a problem and something to be fixed. Sadly, this is the same way many of my “friends” treated me in college, as they only saw me as a Christian work project rather than someone who needed others to meet me where I was.

When we are feeling like burdens, we need to go to the Lord in prayer. We need to present our feelings to Him with absolute authenticity. Whatever we are feeling, God wants to know. If we are feeling like a burden, we need to let Him know. In the same way, if we are feeling an intense amount of self-hate, we need to let Him know.

God cares, and He wants to lift the heavy weight off of our shoulders. Never does God say we are a burden in the Bible. Instead, the Father went to great lengths to save us from our sins by sending His Son to die on the cross (John 3:16-17). If God is willing to do this, then we can rest in peace that He never sees us as a burden. He sees us as His beloved children.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/max-kegfire 

  • woman tracing heart on window on rainy day, how to find relief when hurting

    1. 1 John 3:1

    “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3:1). 

    As 1 John 3:1 says, we are the beloved children of God. When we are feeling like a burden, we need to reflect on this truth. Feeling like a burden causes us to doubt the love of others, yet we must never doubt the love of God. His love is eternal and everlasting. 

    When God says He loves us, He means it. God doesn’t lie to us. The Bible tells us that we are lavished by the love of God and we are declared to be His children. These are truths we can hold in our hearts forever and especially when we are struggling with feeling like a burden.

    Once we can know this truth and apply it to our hearts, we won’t feel like a burden as much. The pain of the past will still linger in our hearts, yet we can look forward to living a life in the love of God rather than in the pain of feeling like a burden. Feeling like a burden will cause us to lose hope, yet we can find hope in God. After all, we are the children of God.

    Photo Credit: © Getty Images/coffeekai 

  • Man looking up

    2. 1 Peter 5:7

    “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).  

    When we are feeling like burdens, we need to cast these feelings onto the Lord. From 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to cast our anxieties on Him, yet anxieties can refer to any of our feelings. Whether we are feeling like burdens or not feeling good enough, we can bring all of these feelings to the foot of the cross. Jesus will comfort us as He listens to us pour out our feelings to Him in prayer. 

    I have personally found this extremely helpful as I know Jesus hears my prayers. He has never made me feel like a burden, so I can trust Him with these hard feelings and you can too. Jesus truly cares about us and how we are feeling. Even though there have been many people in our lives who have made us feel like burdens, Jesus tells us that He cares about us. What others have broken, we need to allow Jesus to heal. 

    He will bring healing into our life and He will not delay. From the moment we ask the Lord to help with these feelings, He will come to our side. Even though there might be many people who tell us we shouldn’t “waste” God’s time with various worries, this is not biblical. As we are told in 1 Peter 5:7, God wants us to bring these feelings to Him.

    We are never a bother to God. Going to Him in prayer is displaying our dependence on Him, His love, and His goodness. We never need to think He doesn’t have time for us or doesn’t want to hear from us. Choose to cast your anxiety on Him today and allow Jesus to do amazing things in your life. He will bring you lasting peace (John 14:27).

    Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/FG Trade

  • 3. Ephesians 2:4-5

    3. Ephesians 2:4-5

    “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). 

    Through God’s rich mercy and grace, we have been saved. We have been made alive in Christ, and through the finished work on the cross, we now have new life. From these promises given to us in Ephesians 2:4-5, we see that we are not a burden. Why would Christ die for someone who was a burden, a bother, or a nuisance? As it is, Jesus died for us because He loves us. 

    The love of Jesus can dismantle our hearts from feeling like burdens. Our parents, friends, and spouse can make us feel like burdens, but Jesus will never make us feel this way. Jesus will make us feel loved, cherished, and cared for. These beautiful promises will always be true for us, but we have to take hold of them. The first step is by believing them and trusting in the Lord’s love for us. 

    One day, we will be in His Kingdom and we will finally be freed from feeling like a burden. In Heaven, we will be able to fully understand and feel the love of God. For now, we can continue to find hope, comfort, and support through prayer and Bible reading.

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/BartekSzewczyk 

  • breath breathe breathing fresh air eyes closed hand over heart morning

    4. Jeremiah 31:3

    “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3). 

    When I feel like a burden, I often turn to Jeremiah 31:3. From this passage, we learn that the Lord loves us with an everlasting love and He has drawn us with unfailing kindness. This everlasting love and unfailing kindness from the Lord will never change. His love and kindness will lift us from our lowly places when we are feeling like a burden. He will turn our heart of pain into a heart of joy.

    We need to rely on Jesus’ everlasting love in order to make it through the hardest of days. Feeling like a burden does not just start randomly. Rather, we are taught we are a burden by the way our parents, family, and friends teach us. If they treat us in a way that makes us feel like a burden, with time, we will start believing that we are burdens. If this is how you are feeling today, know that you are not a burden and you are loved by the Lord.

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Ridofranz 

  • Man looking through curtains out the window

    5. Psalm 86:15

    “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15). 

    A final passage to reflect on when we are feeling like burdens is Psalm 86:15. In this passage, we learn that the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God. He is slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness. By knowing this, we can help our hearts ease from feeling like burdens. Since the Lord is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness, we can rely on Him.

    The more we turn to the Lord and talk with Him, the less likely we will feel like a burden. By allowing what God says about us to change our self-view, we will start not seeing ourselves as burdens. Just because we feel like a burden does not mean we are burdens. Rather than being a burden, we are loved, cherished, and appreciated by God. 

    The next time we feel like a burden, we can open our Bible to these passages and go to God in prayer. Be honest with Him and present all your feelings to Him. He will listen to you and surround you with grace. God will ensure you always feel loved, valued, and worthy.

    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Uwe Krejci 

    Vivian Bricker author bio photoVivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/.