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Spiritually integrated caregivers, such as pastoral counselors, usually identify “healing” as an occurrence; when one is restored to wholeness and well-being. Healing (along with guiding, sustaining, and reconciling) is one of the core functions of spiritual care and pastoral counseling.
All healing practices are guided by recognizing that God alone is the source of life. The Old Testament shows that God’s people have a history of turning to lament and prayer when they are navigating pain and suffering.
In the Psalms, Job, Jeremiah, and Lamentations, lament is appropriately understood as a prayer to God in a time of distress. God hears and knows our distress and prayers, and this truth is foundational to our faith. But what does prayer do for us? Why is it so powerful?
Prayer is communing with God in which you seek His will and glory in your life. Seeking God’s face is about connecting with Him, whereas seeking His hand is about experiencing results through prayer. Nothing beats a consistent prayer life in taking your faith further than the area of religion and into a genuine connection with Christ. Prayer also energizes and inspires the heart of a believer through the very power of the Holy Spirit.
Consistent prayer also unleashes the power of God’s blessing on your life and circumstances. Prayer will result in God’s power to bring change. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,” according to the Book of James (James 5:16). It empowers the believer to harness all of Christ’s might and focus His mighty force on one place, person, or situation on the earth. Most importantly, having a disciplined prayer life will produce a spiritual fire around you.
Prayer helps us establish our relationship with God because it allows us to communicate with him. It’s one of many opportunities for us to learn more about him. In James 4:8, it is clear: God will draw near to you if you draw close to Him, and in Psalm 145:18, all who call on the LORD in truth are near him.
Communicating with Him brings us to the very core of who God is, allowing us to humble ourselves and be the person who glorifies Him in every way possible.
Prayer allows us to be more considerate of others than ourselves. It allows one to pray for someone while the other is praying with someone. You can do this personally, by phone (or through Skype or Zoom, whichever works best for you), and during your quiet time. As James puts it in chapter 5, we need to pray for one another so we can be healed.
Many things in the world cause us concern, and prayer can help us find peace. We can only realize through prayer that God can only be our source of peace in a world full of uncertainties and chaos; He has the power to bring comfort and peace. As stated in 1 Peter chapter 5, we need to present our concerns and anxieties to Him as He is concerned with all of us.
Prayer changes everything. It might not be in an instant, but it does change everything—that includes your thoughts, your whole being, and your circumstances. In fact, in Ezekiel 36, it is clear that God will give us a new heart and spirit to replace callousness in our hearts. And this alone is achievable through prayer.
According to studies conducted by German psychologists at Saarland University and the University of Mannheim, praying helps people maintain self-control. The team behind the findings wrote in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology online: “A brief period of personal prayer buffered the self-control depletion effect.”
We can withstand temptations to sin by praying. Praying for God’s guidance prevents us from making poor decisions, giving us the courage to do the right thing.
We can open ourselves to forgiveness through prayer. It is critical to remember that we are all people who make errors and that praying can encourage us to forgive ourselves for previous mistakes so that we can go on. Additionally, you can also find some insight and a sense of direction while praying.
Prayer strengthens and calms your heartbeat. Prayer has been shown to accelerate the recovery of the heart after heart attacks and cardiac surgery, despite the fact, in general, that it is a mental and spiritual exercise.
Praying draws you closer to both yourself and the greater power you seek. According to a Columbia University study, praying diminishes ego and increases humility. This improves selflessness by making one more concerned for the greater good rather than just themselves.
Praying helps your body heal more quickly and age more gracefully by reducing the life-threatening impacts of stress and environmental factors. All of this together helps the body maintain healing faster and live longer.
Prayer allows you to be humbled. We realize how big the universe is and how insignificant our troubles are in comparison through worship and prayer. When we pray for others, we are more likely to empathize with their issues than be selfish. When we pray positively, our total attitude changes, making us feel pleased mentally and socially.
When God forgives, it’s final. He forgets when He forgives. But forgiveness is not so simple or full for us. Forgiveness is often a daily decision for us. In his model prayer, Jesus included the prayer for forgiveness in the same breath as the prayer for daily bread. So, in the same way we pray for “daily” food; we also pray for “daily” forgiveness. You can now show the same mercy to those who have wronged you.
We now thrive in a high-pressure environment where we are continuously pushed to take on more duties, achieve, and be on top of everything. Reflecting on our concerns through prayer helps alleviate the situation’s initial stress and leaves them all to God.
Recovery from a situation that has left you emotionally or physically devastated takes time. Prayer acts as a tool to deal with the consequences and retain one’s faith. Your mind and body focus entirely on healing, while prayer keeps you grounded and hopeful.
Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School, a cardiovascular medicine specialist, highlighted the possible curative advantages of prayer and meditation, and other spiritual practices (hypnosis and other relaxation techniques). A few of these are an improvement in the heart rate, a decrease in blood pressure and breathing rate, and a reduced need for oxygen (less carbon dioxide production). In effect, the relaxation response is the opposite of the stress response and can be consciously employed to moderate the impact of stress.
Daily events influence our stress levels and mood. However, prayer and meditation give people hope for the future and faith that keeps us grounded and strong. Because they believe in themselves, religious people gain the strength to overcome minor and significant concerns. Praying and being grateful each and every day improves one’s perspective on life.
The immune system, stress, and prayer are all connected. Your body becomes strong enough to fend off inflammation as your stress levels decrease. When relaxed, your metabolism and cellular activity are also more efficient. These advantages combine to make your immune system more capable of preventing infectious diseases.
Prayer reduces stress, improves your health, and allows your immune system to work more efficiently. It will be able to stand against viruses like the coronavirus and other infectious illnesses.
To boost your immune system and protect yourself from the virus, consider including spiritual mediation or prayer in your regular self-care routine. Prayer can also make you feel less alone and more at ease.
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Prayer is communing with God in which you seek His will and glory in your life. Nothing beats a consistent prayer life in taking your faith further than the area of religion and into a genuine connection with Christ. Prayer also energizes and inspires the heart of a believer through the very power of the Holy Spirit. Communicating with God brings us to the very core of who God is, allowing us to humble ourselves and be the person who glorifies Him in every way possible.
Prayer has been shown to accelerate the recovery of the heart after heart attacks and cardiac surgery, despite the fact that it is a mental and spiritual exercise. According to a Columbia University study, praying diminishes ego and increases humility. This improves selflessness and makes one more concerned for the greater good rather than just themselves. When we pray positively, our total attitude changes, making us feel pleased mentally and socially. Reflecting on our concerns through prayer helps alleviate the situation’s initial stress and leaves them all to God.
Learn on our Wednesday Wellness videos below.
What we need is empowerment and self-care. We have to change our whole mindset about our health and embrace lifestyle medicine. Here at DrGeorgeJ Holistic Health and Healing, we offer support and empowerment to everyone and everyone who chooses to live fully alive and empowered to optimal body, mind, and spirit health through the Creator Model of Healthcare’s 5 Pillars of Wellness.
We are excited to be a part of a change in the healthcare.
