God’s Antidote for Pain – Prayer!

Prayer is God’s antidote for the pain of this troubled world

I wish there was no pain in this world – no death, illness, disappointments, emotional distress, etc. Wouldn’t the world be perfect that way? Sadly, that is not how things work in our world! Everywhere you turn, someone is hurting, in tears, or drowning in despair. Now that God has allowed all this to happen in and around us, does he provide an antidote for pain?

As I looked through his word and thought about pain (there has been much of it around me of late), I realized that there is repeated reference to prayer in times of trouble.  According to the Bible, a prayer of whatever form (calling on God, looking to God, focusing on him, etc) is the solution to life in this painful world.

How, then, does this antidote for pain work?

Prayer gets rid of anxiety!

For most of us, talking to someone when in a place of anxiety is quite helpful. You get to pour out your heart, express your frustrations, vent, cry, scream, etc. When you are done, you feel so much better!

1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (NLT)

I believe the best person I should share my anxieties with is God, simply because he cares. He has no vested interests or ulterior motives, and will not do anything with my ‘secrets’ except listen! All God wants to do is take my worries upon himself because he cares about me.

Sharing all our pain with God through prayer is the perfect antidote for pain. As we share our anxieties with him, he comforts us and reminds that he has everything in control. Also, it doesn’t matter how many times we go back to him with the same hurts; he will always be there to calm our fears.

Prayer helps change our focus!

During a painful moment, I always tend to focus on how much pain I am in, as well as the source of the pain, and how much hurt it has caused. These thoughts go round and round in my head, almost giving me some kind of pleasure as I wallow in my sorrow – until I remember, that’s not where my focus should be.

Why is it so hard to remove pain from our lives on our own? Simple – because we always try to do so for selfish reasons – so that we can feel better and get our lives back to normal. Just ask yourself, though, is that God’s purpose for allowing pain in your life?

What I have learnt over the years (I am still learning this lesson) is that every time pain comes along, God has a reason for it. I’m not talking about the pain from a small cut – I am referring to deep pain within the soul that cannot be treated with a painkiller. The only way I get relief from this kind of pain is by talking to God about it in prayer.

Here is the interesting part – the first time I talk to God about the pain, it is such a struggle because I feel like he is not acting fast enough. With time, however, I begin to feel his comfort and reassurance every time I share my pain with him, as I stop focusing on my pain and begin to focus on him. The more time I spend with him, the less pain I feel, because every time we are together, he takes it away – as I fix my eyes on him.

Now, I am not saying that God takes away the pain immediately. God instead comforts us, gives us the strength we need to handle the situation while teaching us to rely on him completely until the pain eventually fades away.  The words in our heart become like those of the Psalmist in Psalm 121, as follows.

Psalm 121:1-2 “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (NLT)

Prayer puts us in a peaceful place

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (NLT)

When you are having a conversation, you always concentrate on the person you are talking to, right? The same applies to prayer. When you are talking to God, you focus on him so that you can hear what he is saying to you.

I know it is not easy to hear what God is saying when you are in pain. God, however, wants us to go to him and talk to him candidly about all we are going through, and then listen to what he has to say. If you are distressed, God will most likely speak words of comfort. If you are seeking direction, God will most likely show you where to go or what to do. In other words, as long as you go to God in prayer, he will answer you and put your heart at rest.

Just to clarify – God’s answers are not always what we expect, rather, they are what is best for us. As we go to God in prayer, we should approach him from a place of trust, knowing that he is able to handle our situations and work things out according to his perfect plan. That trust in God is what puts our hearts at peace – knowing that he has our backs.

Friends, I know the pain may be excruciating right now, but God is right there waiting for you to go him in prayer. That little prayer will prove to be the perfect antidote for pain because in its place you receive peace as you place your worries at his feet and focus on him.

 

 

 

Hi, everyone! As always, I would love to hear from you. Let me know what stood out for you in this article, and what comments you may have. If you loved the article, please like it, share it with your friends and subscribe! See you next week! Alison