In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), hundreds of millions of people are left confused and frightened about the safety of their loved ones. Today, more and more people across the globe are sick and thousands of others have died.
This pandemic has brought upon tons of serious medical, logistical and ethical issues. It also raises additional questions for us Christians.
Governments and health sectors all around the world are imposing social distancing and self-quarantine protocols to avoid the further spread of the contagious coronavirus disease. In a crisis like this, we may feel like we’re stuck helpless.
But it is in times like this where we can turn to our God in prayer. In faith, God will reveal His power in the midst of trials like this and will hear the prayers of the weak and powerless.
“Prayer is not a preparation for the work, it is the work.” – Oswald Chambers
Don’t forget to check out our post on “The Lord’s Prayer – Breaking down the 7 petitions in the lord’s prayer“ and “The Lord’s Prayer – 11 keys to increase your faith“
As a matter of fact, Jesus has taught us how we should pray. It is written in the book of Matthew 6:9-14 where Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer as a guide for our prayer life.
Step 1.- Calm and Focus Your Thoughts on God
Our minds can get filled by all the workloads and responsibilities we have in our day-to-day lives. Sometimes, taking these worries and fears from clouding our minds can be a struggle. There are also times where we just can’t keep our mind from running in circles.
While these things are completely normal, it is important that when we come to the Lord in prayer, our focus and attention is on Him. Remind yourself that it is essential to spend some time with the Lord, especially in times of tribulation like this.
Start your prayer by “our Father” referring to God because we are all His children, “who art in heaven” art means to exist, “hallowed be thy name” which means we give respect to His glorious name.
Tips on how to calm and focus your thoughts:
Take a deep breath and release every worry and burden in your heart, don’t let doubts creep in and allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart, focus on the “what is” rather than “what was” or
“what could”, allow the Lord to soothe your anxious spirit with His grace.
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
Step 2.- Praise the Kingdom of Our Lord and Desire its Fulfillment
Filling our hearts with praise and thanksgiving to our Lord is one of the most essential part of every prayer.
It is where we acknowledge the numerous amount of blessings bestowed to us, as well as recognizing that there is a kingdom in heaven that’s waiting for us after this temporary life that we spend on earth.
Continue your prayer by saying “thy kingdom come,” this means that you are allowing God to take charge of your life forever, until the end of time.
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
Step 3.- Submit Your Life into the Hands of the Lord
In this fast-paced and modern generation, we should not let worries about family, work, finances, or health to cloud our minds. While some of us may not realize, overthinking about our lives can bring some negative long-term effects on our spiritual and mental health.
So, give it all to the Lord. Every bit of fear, doubt, worry, or uncertainty, lay it all down at the feet of our God. Trust that even when the road is tough, and the future may look bleak, He will uphold you and guide you in every step in this journey, just as He promised.
Continue your prayer with “thy will be done,” which means a full submission to God’s will in your life, “on earth as it is in heaven” this simply means that you are allowing God to reign in your earthly life, just as He reigns in heaven.
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
Step 4.- Seek God’s Help for Your Daily Needs
Life can be very demanding, and piling workloads and responsibilities from left and right can overwhelm us. But it is in times like this where God wants to intervene the most. It is when we are weak, where He can show His sovereignty and grace to help us get through our daily lives.
Just as it is written in 2 Peter 1:3, “God’s abundant grace will supply for our needs, so that we can live a godly life in this earth”.
We can bring to Him in prayer every need and longing desires in our hearts. In faith, we know and have the assurance that He hears them all and will act according to His will and for His glory.
Continue your prayer by saying “give us this day” which means it should be an everyday surrender to Him, “our daily bread” this is being confident that He will provide for our needs each day.
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
Step 5.- Ask for Forgiveness from Your Sins and Iniquities
Most people think that because they’re sinners, God would not hear their prayers or they’re not allowed to pray. But that is completely opposite of what God wants.
God wants us to turn to Him, and let go of our fleshly sins and desires so that He can bestow a brand new heart and clean heart within us.
The Bible is never silent about this topic, according to 1 John 1:9, “God will wholeheartedly forgive us if we confess our sins to Him”.
Our God is a merciful God, slow to anger and He won’t hide from us when we earnestly seek Him with all our heart. Though we may stumble and fall because of sin, His grace is overflowing and will never run out.
You can continue your prayer by saying “forgive us” for we all have stumbled “our trespasses” which means our sins, “as we forgive those who trespass against us”.
We are allowing God to forgive us from our sins after we ourselves learn to forgive those people who have sinned against us.
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
Step 6.- Ask for Strength in Times of Testing and from Evil
As it is written in the book of John 16:33, in this earthly life that we currently live in, there will be testings and trials of our faith. But we shouldn’t be discouraged because Jesus has overcome this world.
This calls for a heart that is willing to humbly ask for strength and power to resist worldly desires and to stay away from temporary joy offered by this world.
You can continue your prayer by saying “lead us not into temptation,” which means humbly asking the Lord to help us from getting tricked by the evil one into making wrong life decisions.
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
Step 7.- Declare His Majestic Power
Declaring God’s power is essential to praise because as we declare and acknowledge His glory, our worries and burdens start to shrink down its size, knowing that these trials are nothing compared to the power of our God.
Just as it is written in 1 Corinthians 6:14, “God raised His Son from the dead by His power”. So, if death itself was beaten by our Lord, what earthly worries or problems can’t His power overcome?
You can continue your prayer by saying “for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory” and by saying this line, we are humbly telling God that we have not forgotten that everything is by Him and for His glory.
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
Step 8.- Humbly End Your Prayer by Saying “Amen”
There is a specific reason why we end our prayers with the word “amen.” The primary reason lies behind the meaning of the word “amen” itself. It is actually a Hebrew word “AMN,” which means “I agree” or “so be it.”
When we utter the word “amen” after we end our prayer, it is like we are actually pleading God to grant us what we have just prayed.
In the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, we can see a lot of instances where people said “amen” (1 Chronicle 16:36, Psalms 41:13, Revelation 22:20-21 and so much more.)
So, whether we are praying by ourselves or with others, uttering “amen” at the end of our prayer tells God that we sincerely mean our prayers. It also shows that we have faith that God has heard them and will answer it according to His will and for His glory.
“Pray on and never cease to pray! God will surely come, for He is never too late.”
Click Here to find additional resources to manage and deal with anxiety and panic attacks if you need additional help.
In Conclusion
As we live in this fast-paced and modern generation, may we find some quiet time to spend with our Lord every day. So often we say that God holds the most important throne in our lives, but it is not visible considering the amount of time we spend in quiet time and prayer with Him.
As communication is essential in every relationship, prayer is essential in strengthening our relationship with the Lord.
Right now, at this very moment, you can lay all your worries and burdens at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Watch how His majestic power transforms your life into something you can’t even imagine or fathom.
Share with the community in the comments section how meaningful your praying will be after learning about these eight steps