March/April 2004

ONE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

Prayer Therapy

It’s a crowded, hectic world for most people. Opportunities for time alone, much less for prayer, are limited. Life has its immediate demands, its already scheduled priorities lined up to overwhelm us and keep us forever playing catch-up.
It might be helpful to see prayer in a different light from that of one more chore to get done before (or after) turning off the light at night. Time with God is different from other time. It refreshes and rejuvenates. It relaxes the mind and body to release our worries — our anger, fear and anxiety — to God. It’s a better antidote to frustration than nibbling on donuts or chocolate bars. It fills our need for intimacy better than affairs or pornography. It’s a far more productive way to handle anger than exploding at our spouses and children. It lasts; those alternatives don’t.
Therapy, Not Duty
It’s easy to view prayer as a duty, an obligation. When we do that, prayer becomes hard, something to put off, a burden and pressure all by itself.
Suppose we didn’t view prayer that way. Suppose we viewed spending time with God as great therapy. Therapy is remedial treatment of a bodily disorder, whether physical, emotional or psychological. When we think of prayer as much-needed therapy, rather than as “our Christian duty,” it puts prayer into a clearer perspective, I think. When we go through our daily, weekly, monthly routines without acknowledging God as the root and core of our lives (which he is), our attitudes, emotions, psyche, even our bodies, suffer the ill effects of trying to live as though we are self-existent — not dependent on God and his creation for our life and being.
To hand over our concerns to God, whether for ourselves or for others, reminds us that our lives and future are in God’s hands. Even our past, with all its baggage of sin, selfishness and ignorance, is in God’s redemptive hands. The act of acknowledging God as the loving, wise and powerful Being that he is is remedial treatment for fear, worry and frustration. It’s like an expert massage, removing tension and stress from our muscles — only better. Who wouldn’t like a great massage every day?
Prayer is the perfect therapy for our tense, knotted and stressed spirits, and it's free! We can take a moment for a quick spiritual “rubdown” in the form of silent prayer just about any time we want during the day. And we can set aside time for a good, long session at times that work with our schedules. Think about it: If you had a certificate for a free full-body massage every day, you’d likely find a way to work it into your schedule as often as possible — even if you had to get up before everybody else and hightail it down to the gym at 5:30 a.m.
Not a Substitute For Action
When it’s time for action, it’s time for action. When your child or your spouse needs your attention, it’s not the time to go off and pray. When you need to repair a faucet, make a call, or prepare a meal, it’s not the time to disappear for an hour in a closet. We can and should be able to pray any time, any place, while we go about our business. The time to go to a solitary place for extended prayer is a time when we don’t have other duties, responsibilities and obligations.
How did Jesus do it? From Mark 1:35, we know one way he did it was to get up early, before the regular day’s activities began.
You might find that other times work better for you. The point is, prayer is a priority that will make all your other priorities more manageable and less stressful. Prayer time can be your time to rest in God, to let him renew your strength, brighten your hope and sharpen your faith.
Has prayer slipped to the bottom of your “to do” list? Why not set aside some time today for an overdue therapy session with the Master Therapist?
— J. Michael Feazell

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