Using Prayer To Relieve Stress

We live in a society where anxiety is on a rise. Think about all the things in your life that can cause you stress! If you are a student, going back to school, the pressures with friends and fitting in, sports and pleasing your parents can all cause a lot of stress. If you are a working professional, the demands of work and finances can cause a lot of stress. If you are a parent, meeting the demands of work and home and how to do it all can cause a lot of stress.

So how can we relax? The bible gives us an important tool to help us calm down and that is using prayer to relieve stress.

Prayer Produces Peace

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

One of the promises of the bible is that prayer will lead to peace. Think about all the emotional energy you spend worrying about things you have no control over? Think of how often your mind is consumed with these things? What would it feel like to actually experience a sense of peace and resolve over those things? Have you been using prayer to relieve stress?

Prayer to a Friend

If we have never really prayed before, the thought of prayer can feel awkward or intimidating. One of most important things to understand is that we can approach God as if we are talking to a friend.

Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.

Exodus 33:11

How do you view God? As a judge? a father? or a friend? What are characteristics of a friend that you value? Honesty, faithfulness, love? Take a moment to write down the qualities of a friend that you value and realize that God has all of these qualities. You can also take time to look into the scriptures on these qualities to help you develop a deeper understand of God as a friend. Understanding God better helps us to be inspired to pray and share our burdens with him, allowing us to relieve our anxieties.

So the next time you’re feeling stressed remember that God is right there wanting to extend a listening ear as a friend and that he has the power to bring us a peace that working harder won’t and another person can’t.

Make time to pray that much needed prayer and watch your stress lift away!