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The older I get, I’ve come to learn that prayer is the key to dealing with everything that life throws at me, including the human biggies of stress, worry, anxiety, and fear. I’ve also learned that even though my prayers do not always receive immediate attention, purging my heart to God also provides relief to my heart and soul. I equate this to coming home from a stressful day of work and sitting down with my wife over a cup of coffee. She kindly and patiently listens to my rant and allows me to get all the junk off of my chest. It’s comforting to imagine my Savior, Jesus Christ, doing the same thing as I vent away.
In my opinion, prayer is like dropping a heavy box of garbage at the foot of the cross and stepping back, all the lighter for it. I admit that there are times when I pray, and it seems that God has temporarily vacated his office to tend to other, more pressing issues.
I also know that’s a lie from the devil. God tells us that he is ever present in our lives and circumstances, no ifs, ands, or buts: “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.” (1 Peter 3:12 NLT); and “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.” (Psalms 34:17 NLT)
Early this morning, as in before the sun came up or even began to lighten the sky, I woke up. I am a light sleeper by nature, so this habit is really nothing new. What is an issue for me is that instead of rapidly falling back to sleep, my mind fully wakes up and begins to stew and fuss over all the things in my life that cause me stress, worry, anxiety, and fear.
So, what did I do? I prayed.
Whether or not you pray when you should be sleeping, or whether you pray in your car or at work. The point is that turning your troubled thoughts towards God is as freeing as God’s forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus on the cross. Prayer releases good things in your soul—a sense of placing your trust in someone who is completely tried-and-true and who will never leave you, not forsake you.
That’s Jesus Christ, and he alone is worthy of all our prayers and trust. I’ve read that prayer lifts the soul into the heavens, where it hugs God in an indescribable way. It takes us away from ourselves, if only for a few moments. These words sum up the context of this devotional, and I encourage you to turn to God in prayer with everything that is going on in your life.
Prayer is the key to keeping the weight of the world off your shoulders, and I’m wholeheartedly fine with that. I bet you are too.
Paul Smyth
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