Moments for the Heart

What if you had the key to a less stressful life? What if you could feel all is well in just one moment? What if you could, for the first time, think clearly enough to see what’s next? What if every relationship you have was mended?

What if I told you that the power to answer “yes” to each of the questions begins within you?

You have heard it all before; A happy life is granted when you are in the right state of mind. If you believe it, you can achieve it. Open your mind to the possibilities. All good advice, but in most cases, it is misguided.

These are based in an emotional state where you “feel” that your life is in a good place. This is not what I mean by the power begins within you. Actually, the power lies elsewhere, but you have the ability to access that life stream and usher in the happiness I speak of.

Amazing Prayer

From the title of this blog, it is obvious that I am talking about prayer. Prayer is the messaging system that puts you in direct contact with God.

You are the one who initiates the communication process, and you have control over how much or how little you use it. I can say from experience that the adage is true: a person who worries much, prays little, and a person who prays much, has little to fret.

Prayer is amazing. Yet so few of us really use it at all, other than a quick prayer over a meal, or when the preacher asks the congregation to bow their heads. And if we are being honest, how many times is our mind on that prayer in church?

We are thinking about where we are going to eat or what time the game starts. We shortchange ourselves anytime we take the extraordinary power of prayer lightly.

God’s word teaches us how to approach prayer. Here are just a few of the things a prayer-filled life can bring to help you live a Philippians 4:6-7 life.

Prayer:

Relieves Stress

We all stress. What differs is how each of us deals with it when we are overcome. Some of us pull our hair out, complain, or just cry. Others hide in a hole and pretend like the issue does not exist, brush it off, or try and pass the responsibility onto someone else. And others turn to friends in hopes of some sympathetic epiphany. None of these truly help the issue, much less help the person resolve the issue.

To relieve the stress of a situation, the first thing we need to do is hit our knees. The only person who can fully understand is God. While there most likely will not be a booming voice from heaven that gives you the answer that solves the problem, there will be a peace that enters your heart. Sincere prayer brings stress relief.

Brings Healing

I’m not only talking about physical healing. God still does miracles, and I fully believe he can heal from sickness and disease. But this is not the healing I’m writing about. The healing I want to discuss here is emotional.

The world is full of hurting people. People who have been hurt through a troubled past; they have been wounded by a friend, betrayed by a family member, harmed by circumstances beyond their control (or sometimes completely within their control.) Regardless, they’ve had a hard, miserable life.

People tend to turn to other people when they are hurting. They can turn to friends, trusted family members, doctors, or a pastor. While these are good sources of comfort, none of these individuals can bring healing to a troubled heart. A person can only give words; they cannot heal. There is only One who can heal. And we can access His healing through prayer.

It is exciting to pray with someone or to hear someone else pray with someone and see that person walk away changed. Mind you, their situation had not changed, but their view of it has. God had supernaturally touched their heart and mind to bring a sense of healing over their troubles.

Gives Clarity

Every day we are faced with decisions. It starts with hitting the snooze when we wake up and ends with what time we put the phone away and go to bed. Big decisions, small choices, all of which will determine the course of our day. Most of the time our decisions are easy. Sometimes they are a bit more difficult. But occasionally we are faced with a situation where our choice can be life-altering. Under these circumstances, prayer needs to be central to our decision-making process.

When we pray, we are surrendering to God. We are allowing him to work in our life. When we ask for Him to reveal His will for us, His hand will work and guide us to clarity about the right decision. It may not always be popular with us or to the world, but it is what God sees as best for us. And in obedience to that revelation, we will be blessed.

Restores Relationships

This is similar to healing. Only one is emotional; this one is relational. But in reality, one cannot exist without the other. We need emotional healing to bring about relational healing. This could be a relationship with a friend we have wronged or has wronged us. It could be with a spouse who has been estranged. A child who has deserted or was abandoned. Or with a wretched sinner coming home to their Heavenly Father.

Prayer for relational healing, like other prayers, does not always happen overnight. More often than not, it can takes years. This stems from the stubbornness of man. We are so bent on being right or demanding the apology, instead of humbling ourselves and being the first to say sorry; even if we feel it wasn’t our fault.

Only God can bring about the change of heart in both the hurter and the hurtee. Only prayer can clear the mind to see that fault does not matter, only the love of the relationship; only the restoration of that relationship.

On another note, sometimes healing is the dissolving of a relationship. Parting ways is sometime the answer. Will it hurt? Absolutely. But sometimes that is what needs to be done to bring healing. Prayer must be part of it. Strength begins with surrender and that is when healing can begin.

Final Thoughts

All your fear, pain, sorrow, regret, anger, stress, broken hearts, broken relationships; all can be healed, cleared up, mended, and restored through the extraordinary power of prayer. As our verse promises, the peace that surpasses all understanding shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. –AMEN!!

Prayer can do amazing things. We only need to recognize that we have the ability to access its power. It’s not anything profound. It is not difficult. All it takes is the correct attitude and the correct position for it to be powerful and effective.

Our hearts must be in it, with the desire to align what we desire with God’s will. When this happens, there is nothing prayer cannot accomplish. Because there is nothing our Heavenly Father cannot accomplish in and through those who pray.