Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
12 28 2026
At His Feet When the Weight Is Too Heavy
Finding Hope When Strength Is Gone
The last two years have brought challenges that have shaken the sense of normal security I once relied on. At the same time, my wife, Dyan, has not been able to attend church for the past nine months due to serious health and back issues. Those limitations have reshaped not just our routine, but our entire family dynamic.
And we are not alone.
We have close friends walking through life-threatening and life-altering battles:
– fighting leukemia.
– recovering from surgery for a brain tumor.
– struggling with leg paralysis.
– facing cancer.
– living with crippling degenerative arthritis.
How many people do you know who are quietly carrying burdens like these
burdens we often see only from a distance?
My wife has said something that has stayed with me: when she looks at the depth of suffering so many of her close friends are enduring, it doesn’t weaken her faith—it strengthens it. It compels her to pray harder, to cling tighter. Somehow, seeing their courage makes her own pain more bearable.
This past week has been unrelenting. I tend to keep my personal life private, but I also want to be obedient to what the Holy Spirit is prompting me to share with you—the body of believers who have been listening, some of you, for more than five years.
This morning, I woke with a heaviness so deep it felt physical. And I began to put words to what I sensed many of us are feeling. I felt compelled to speak honestly—to touch the darker thoughts that surface when we listen to story after story of long battles with pain, uncertainty, anxiety…
and when things spill over, fear.
Often, I wake with words and emotions from God and I simply begin to write.
Yesterday was one of those days.
There are seasons when the challenges feel overwhelming…roadblocks, health crises, relentless pressure—tormenting us into believing we are failing. More than that, we are exhausted.
Too tired to think clearly.
Too emotional to hope.
Too discouraged to take the next step.
So weary of telling the same story of our pain to the same people
month after month, now turning into years.
And while, as Christians, we would never contemplate ending our lives, there is a quieter despair that whispers from deep within: I just want peace from all of this. A sense of being trapped in a non-life, a proverbial pit beyond our control…like a slow sentence being served with no clear end in sight.
And it isn’t just us. It’s our families…the ones we love and feel responsible for.
So once again, we cry out to our Father. We try to offer a sacrifice of praise, but the bucket is empty.
Empty.
“Lord, I am broken and spilled out. But even this…I want it to be for You, Jesus.”
And I remember again: this is what I must do.
Broken and spilled out… Loving Jesus.
Pouring out my overwhelm, my discouragement, my despair at the foot of the cross…at His feet…because right now, that is all I have to offer the One who carried every sin, every failure, every pity-soaked moment of ours to an indescribable death, so that I could be with Him…we could be with him…not just someday, but forever.
As I pour my tears into an overfilled journal, Scripture comes alive again. I remember how the Lord opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant to see the hills filled with horses and chariots of fire. An unseen army surrounded what appeared to be certain death. I remember how Jesus told Martha that Mary sitting at His feet was better than being consumed with obligation.
And as I sit.
And as I wait.
His Word feeds me…minute by minute, hour by hour…until I can see again. Enough to believe again. Enough to remember where my hope comes from.
This too will pass.
I choose to hold fast—to His promises, to His Word…to stand until the end.
And by the power of His Spirit… His grace, I believe that I… that we… will be okay.
In His timing.
For His greater purpose.
For my good.
And for His glory.
Somehow. Some way. It will be so.
And for today, that is enough.
One day at a time, until I see Him in the clouds, coming in glory—just as He said.
Father,
We come to You not strong, not polished, not full,
but broken and spilled out.
Some of us are exhausted in body.
Some of us are worn thin in spirit.
Some of us are carrying battles that have lasted far longer than we ever imagined.
Today, all we can do is come and sit at Your feet.
Not to perform.
Not to explain.
Just to be held by Your presence.
You see the tears, and we don’t know how to pray. Just cry.
You know the weight we’ve been carrying in silence.
And You remind us that even now…especially now…
You are near.
Give us strength for the day.
Bread for this moment.
Hope enough for one more step.
Help us to stand
not in our own strength,
but in the power of Your Spirit and the truth of Your promises.
And when we cannot see the way forward,
open our eyes to the unseen like Elisha’s servant
to the armies of heaven surrounding us,
to the cross before us,
and to the glory that is still to come.
We trust You with the timing.
We trust You with the outcome.
We trust You with our lives.
One day at a time,
until we see You face to face.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
I have included the scripture references for you below for those who are reading. I didn’t add them to the audio version. I thought the song below for today was appropriate.
Do you know someone who needs to hear this? Pass this lesson and future devotions to someone, with this Signup link: http://eepurl.com/i_nlb2 My website to view past devotions is https://fearlesslycourageous.com
Broken and Spilled out. Steve Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pklUAB4E4nA
· Unrelenting pressure / shaken security
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:8–9
· The suffering of many, seen and unseen
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2
· Faith strengthened by witnessing others endure
“Therefore we do not lose heart… For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:16–17
· Weariness, emotional exhaustion, loss of clarity
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28
· The pit, despair, longing for peace
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.”
— Psalm 42:5
· Crying out when the bucket is empty
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18
· Broken and spilled out
“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you will not despise.”
— Psalm 51:17
· Pouring it out at the foot of the cross
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
— 1 Peter 5:7
· Elisha’s servant seeing the unseen
“Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
— 2 Kings 6:16–17
· Choosing presence over performance (Mary & Martha)
“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
— Luke 10:41–42
· Standing, holding fast
“After you have done everything, to stand.”
— Ephesians 6:13
· This too shall pass / hope in His timing
“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”
— Philippians 1:6
· One day at a time
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
— Matthew 6:34
· Waiting for His return
“We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
— Titus 2:13
Leave a Comment