Although the challenges and hardships life presents can cause many to experience depression and even contemplate suicide, liberated prayer is a genuine self-care practice that can mollify much of the associated stress.
To be clear, prayer is not a wholesale replacement for therapy. However, therapy alone is not the panacea for materializing and maintaining robust mental health and productive stress levels. Prayer is imperative to confronting the demons in natural and spiritual realms.
As the nation and world become more fraught with turmoil, violence, and corruption, engendering instability that can affect a person not only in discernable physical ways but also in damaging internal ways, it’s vital to possess a free resource that can be employed at any time to meet the challenges and problems resulting from these realities. So, what is this resource? Liberated prayer.
This article defines liberated prayer, explains why it is significant to authentic self-care, and offers practical recommendations for making it a rewarding daily practice.
Defining Liberated Prayer
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Before consulting biblical and theological resources to locate the definition of liberated prayer, please understand that no one has articulated this concept precisely this way. As a trained theologian specializing in the New Testament, biblical exegesis, and liberation theology (with some scholarly work in systematic theology and spiritual formation), the present writer is more than equipped to offer this beneficial concept. This concept centers on one’s posture toward and practice of prayer.
Liberated prayer is honest communication with Jesus, and such prayer is unencumbered by rules and regulations. When Jesus died on the Cross at Calvary, he died to free us from the bondage of the Mosaic Law that placed significant barriers between humans and himself. After receiving salvation (see John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10), we can gain the same right to communicate with Christ as we do with humans. Hebrews 4:16 states, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We can “boldly” approach Jesus, referenced in Hebrews 4:16 as sitting on “the throne of grace,” without needing to know any special language to reach and speak to him. Too many religious leaders have taught and preached about prayer in ways that make people feel like they must attend seminary to pray successfully, discouraging many from engaging in it. At the root of genuine prayer is freedom, including speaking to Christ without restraints and taking every issue, no matter how trivial or complicated, to Jesus.
Christ’s Role in Self-Care
When prayer becomes a daily practice, one experiences liberty more and more. Prayer is a spiritual balm that heals and soothes the harm and pain the world inflicts. Although you may not recognize it, your mind needs nursing daily. Developing a healthy mind begins with assessing what you think about the most. Whatever you think about the most, that you become. Proverbs 23:7 proclaims, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” The “he” in the previous verse includes both men and women.
Whatever you think about the most, you give it the most strength. Isaiah 26:3 declares, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” For those who keep their minds on Jesus, he promises to give them “perfect peace.” Therefore, when it seems like chaos and trouble are coming at you from every angle, Christ supplies the remedy to these undesirable phenomena: keep your mind on him and trust him.
Instead of placing your faith in the challenges and problems the day presents, give those challenges and problems to Jesus through prayer. When you pray aloud, you release the stress related to those challenges and problems. One should not place her faith in the moon, stars, or tarot cards. When a person prays, he loses focus on the challenge or problem and centers his attention on the individual who can solve every challenge or problem: Jesus.
Fortifying Yourself Daily
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For prayer to operate most effectively in people’s lives, it must become a daily practice. The more you pray, the more you access Heaven and deepen your intimacy with Jesus. As soon as you wake up, begin your day in gratitude by saying, “Thank you, Jesus, for another day!” Spiritually mature folks know that prayers of thanksgiving should dominate their prayer life.
Jude 1:20-21 state, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” In those two verses, Jude helps believers to comprehend that a real prayer life will lead to “the Holy Ghost,” properly interpreted as “the Holy Spirit,” praying through them. Imagine that for a moment: A prayer life that is so intense that the Holy Spirit himself takes control of a person’s prayers, producing perfect prayers.
When prayer becomes a serious part of our lives and who we are, it takes root and starts perfecting our lives. Romans 8:26 informs believers that the Holy Spirit works on our behalf to pray through us, given that “…we know not what we should pray for as we ought…” As you go through your morning routine, even while sitting on the toilet, use that time to pray. Dedicating yourself to prayer engenders space for the Holy Spirit to work in your life.
Conclusion
In short, a liberated prayer life will produce a spiritually mature life. If you want victory over trials and tribulations, prayer is necessary to place you in the position of victory Jesus has already won for you at the Cross at Calvary. II Corinthians 2:14 proclaims, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”
Rest in the blessed assurance that Christ has already won the victory for believers. A committed prayer life permits believers to manifest this victory in the natural world. A deep commitment to prayer allows you to concentrate on this victory. As Christians, we’re not moving toward victory; we’re operating from a place of victory. Making time for prayer in your life will remind you of this powerful place of victory available to you.
Again, therapy and self-care are necessary. However, if both are not combined with an earnest prayer life, the results are incomplete therapy and incomplete self-care, ultimately frustrating your confidence in both. We make time for the things we value. Therefore, do you value Jesus? How much time do you spend with him in prayer if you contend you value him? Let’s intensify our prayer life and enjoy its fruits.
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