Men Coping with Anxiety through Prayer
According to the Guardian newspaper published in early May 2020, one in twenty adults have started praying as a result of the uncertainty and despair caused by the lock-down. The Telegraph newspaper also reported that the pandemic prompted a 50% surge in online searches for prayer as individuals find ways to cope with anxiety and hopelessness.
What is prayer? In the context of the Christian faith, prayer is a form of adoration, contemplation, thanksgiving and supplication to God. You are probably wondering what has prayer got to do with coping with anxiety? Prayer has a number of benefits which can help alleviate the symptoms and the impact of anxiety over our lives.
Let us take a look in particular, at some key principles in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9–13, which we can immediately apply to our lives when dealing with anxiety.
“Our father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name”. “Our Father” indicates that God is a parent, with a fatherly heart, who loves mankind as His own with an everlasting love, who seeks to bring comfort, strength, refuge, and protection to all individuals. God is accepting towards all human beings. He doesn’t discriminate and He has no favorites. As a holy God, He seeks the best interests for mankind. If you feel anxious, He promises never to leave you nor fore-sake you.
“Give us this day our daily bread”. You may be anxious because you have lost your job or you have no money in the bank., or you don’t know where your next meal is coming from. God promises to provide all your needs and provisions according to His riches and glory. There is only one caveat. You just need to ask and trust Him. Simple as that! God’s name is “Yahweh Jireh” which is the Hebrew word for “God, our provider”. It is part of God’s nature to give good things and to provide for us His children. How do I know? I have experienced His innumerable provision many times in my life in times of lack.
“And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors”. A key principle to let go of anxiety is to forgive others as God has forgiven us. There is power is forgiveness. It frees you from, bitterness, resentment, self-captivity and emotional imprisonment. Yes I know that people wronged you in business and in your personal relationships and you are angry. Letting go of both the wrong and the resentment can set you free — from illness and emotional pain
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. We start to feel anxious .when our safety is under threat. God promises to cover, protect and deliver us from situations,we unknowingly find ourselves entangled in.
I have highlighted these key powerful precepts from the Lord’s prayer, which thousands of individuals have prayed aloud daily over their lives as prayer has not only helped them over-come the fiery darts that life throws at them but has provided them with the needed, comfort, inner strength and resilience to cope with life’s challenges. Is it no wonder that the internet is exploding on online searches on prayer in the times we are living in now?
