The Power of Prayer Over Stress

Do you feel like your prayers aren’t doing you any good when it comes to your stress, worry, and fear? Or do you find yourself throwing up emergency prayers when you have run out of all other options? Today I’m sharing 4 kingdom principles to get powerful results when you pray.

As a Christian, prayer is a powerful tool we have for busting through stress. But I think way too many of us have either taken it for granted or don’t really understand the power we have available through prayer.

1. Think of who you are talking to.  When you pray you are getting the very God of this universe involved in your situation.  Be impressed with the power and authority of your Father. Read the 38th chapter of Job and you’ll be reminded of God’s power to carve the canyons of this earth, how he tells the ocean how far it can go, and how the lightning bolts report to God saying, “Here we are.” If God can create this amazing world and continue to sustain it, He is also well able to take care of any concern you have.  Work on always magnifying God to yourself.
   
   
2. Go to God in prayer first.  Someone has famously said, “I guess there is nothing left to do but pray.”  When this is your attitude and prayer is a last resort or the last thing that you think to do, it tells where your heart is.   Think about when you get bad news or you are really stressed about something, who is it that first comes to your mind to tell or share with?  If it isn’t God, you’ve got some work to do on your relationship with Him.
   
   
3. Remember that it is finished.  Those are the words of Jesus on the cross.  In The Passion Translation it says, “When he had sipped the sour wine, he said, “It is finished, my bride!”[c] Then he bowed his head and surrendered his spirit to God.”  The notes for this verse say, “There was nothing written that was not fulfilled and now offered to his bride.”  As you pray over whatever situation is stressful, worrisome or fearful, remember that you are not begging God to do anything for you.  It is already finished. Prayer reconnects us with our power source and reminds us of the invisible but very real kingdom of God.
   
   
4. Know that God is not trying to hide anything from you.  Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.”   He wants you to know His will. He wants you to live freely and lightly. He wants you to be the carrier of His glory that attracts others to Him. And being stressed doesn’t do that.
   
   

When you remember who it is you are getting involved with your situation when you pray and you develop your relationship with Him to the point where you think to go to him first and you remember that what you are asking for is already finished and available to the bride and you expect to receive because you know your Father is not trying to hold anything back from you...you’ll get powerful results when you pray.  Hope will increase, darkness will decrease and you’ll experience the power of prayer over your stress, worry, and fear.

I’m on a mission to help Christians to not live life as usual, to not accept stress, worry, and fear as the status quo, but instead to start reigning in life like God intends for us to and to spread His glory, the fame of His goodness. And a lackluster prayer life won’t get us there.

Which one of these principles will you apply to your prayer life today?