How Prayer Can Heal You

I remember one day I was struggling at work and I ran out of the office and sat in my car breathing rapidly. I was on the brink of an anxiety attack. The world was closing in on me quickly, and I felt at fault. I felt I was doing everything wrong. The more I reflected on my actions I was getting more and more out of breath and my heart was beating faster and faster. I could not find the words to pray; I couldn’t find any words at all. I reached for my phone and called my sister. She began to pray the Hail Mary over and over until the rhythm of the prayer became my own. My heart began to settle, and as I started to cry, my sister invited me to rest in the arms of Christ. She invited me to visualize Christ sitting and reaching out His arms to embrace me. Like a child in the lap of their father, I rested there, and soon I felt ok. I felt loved, consoled, and renewed, moment by moment. I could make it through. My despair was beginning to shift and a glimmer of hope was on the horizon. As I sat in His lap, I began to be healed. I needed to begin in the rhythm of a familiar prayer to open my heart and soul to the comfort of Christ, and then the prayer began to heal me. 

Today you may be going through suffering, a struggle, or just feel a little distance between God. I invite you to PRAY. In the words of a dear friend of mine, “Imagine Jesus sitting with you and just start talking to Him like your best friend.”  If words just don’t feel natural, I encourage you to light a candle, sit in a quiet space, take a few deep breaths, and give yourself the time to just sit. Maybe start with a familiar prayer, like the Rosary, and begin to recite it, focusing on each word and imagining yourself saying "Our Father" to Jesus himself and saying the Hail Mary directly to Our Blessed Mother. Use your senses, your words, and your imagination to invoke a feeling of being in their presence. As the prayers begin to create a rhythm within you, sit in that space and begin to ask for what you need or share what you are grateful for. Sit in beautiful silence and listen. If you don’t feel anything or hear anything, that is ok. Trust in the space of waiting. In this place, I invite you to open up your Bible and begin to read a few verses. God wants to talk to you, and sometimes He comes to you in "The Word" or "Song." I encourage you, at this point in your prayer, to invite God to make His voice known to you. Sometimes I say “In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ our Lord I ask you to show me the way”.