Worried? Prayer is my most recommended medicine!

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a proverb that is often used to encourage optimism in the face of adversity. Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life, while lemonade is a sweet drink.

But what if you cannot instil any optimism in your life? What if your career, health, family situation or finances are filling you with despair? I have been there and what (or rather who) gives me immense emotional and mental strength is my God. The Bible says…

So how do we go about throwing all our anxiety on Him?

#1 Trust in Him

A personal relationship with God is the best relationship you can ever have. And like every relationship trust is one of the keys to this relationship too. Believe that there is a God who is ready to have you as His best friend. Invite Him into your life.

I have gone through a phase of atheism and I questioned everything about the God-entity. My “logical mind” looked for scientific reasons for the existence of God. Then certain events in my life opened my eyes. I couldn’t explain scientifically why or how they happened, but they were solutions to my problems and answers to my self-doubts. So rather than give credit to “coincidence” and “sheer luck”, I gave credit to Jehovah God. I don’t have all the answers about His existence and power. But I know that trusting in Him gives me immense peace in times of uncertainty and tribulations.

#2 Communicate with Him

Daily prayer and meditation are very crucial steps in building a personal relationship with our God. Putting your feelings into words brings them into focus. When we thank God for the good things, we focus on our blessings. This makes us feel more optimistic and positive. When we ask God for forgiveness, we strengthen our conscience and become free from guilt. When we ask God for guidance, it humbles us and helps us lean on Him rather than ourselves.

Reading the Bible and contemplating on what you have read helps you understand more about God and also enables you to “hear” God.

#3 Submit Your Ways to Him

Trusting in God also means giving Him control of your life. If you are faced with a dilemma, submit it into His hands. Have complete faith that He will give you the necessary guidance.

We all want to have power in our prayers. But sometimes we may feel like they are going unanswered. From my experience, I personally believe that delays in answering prayers are often opportunities for us to be better prepared for the answer. I have also noticed that sometimes I think prayers are not answered, just because the answer is not what I wanted in the first place. So when you submit to God, do so wholeheartedly keeping your options genuinely open.