Breathe and Stop
I know many atheists out there that argue that prayer is a useless activity. “Shouting out mentally towards a faint depiction of God is mere delusion.” But when you think about it, in the middle of intense stress or anxiety, praying is a particularly useful solution. It centers us. It reminds us why we do what we do. It allows us to reconnect back to our humanity, provides us a retreat from a stressful situation, is a mental and emotional sanctuary.
Too often we try to think through our problems. And while thinking is a good exercise of course, praying allows us to be deprived of meaningless thoughts, so that we can centre ourselves to receive meaningful grace. Especially for those who are cerebral like I am, this truth is forgotten all too often.
When I’m angry, frustrated, flustered or even annoyed, I rationalize. I think. I seethe. I worry. I blame. I point fingers. I try to cheer myself up. I do all sorts of things that prevent me from arriving at a true solution.
Praying points me towards heaven. Praying points me to God, to peace, to love. Yes, thinking is a big part of it, but thinking completely devoid of prayer far too often produces more problems rather than push toward the solution.
Pray without fear, without anxiety for result. Pray because it’s the last sanctuary. Pray because Jesus loves you.
And if you don’t know how to pray, breathe, stop.
Be quiet for a second and rest in our Lord.
For your sake, and because He loves you too, for His.
