#TransformationTuesday #AndreaNSpeaks #ThePrayerOfFaith #ChristiansWithAnxietyAndDepression #ReframedThroughTheLensOfLove
If you’re a Christian struggling to understand how to pray about your anxiety, depression, chronic illness or any other painful reality – I urge you to give this message a listen!
This is one of the most powerful teachings I’ve heard on prayer. Especially from the perspective of someone who struggles with diagnosed anxiety and depression and has embraced medication to help me function so I can live out my faith to the fullest.
This was the final message in our recent series on the book of James. As we look in James 5 for guidance on how to pray, here’s what we see:
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14 (NIV)
I love how Andy pointed out that the “oil” the elders used here was not ceremonial but medicinal. As Christians, we can “embrace the medical arts” as we seek healing.
This does not diminish or discount our faith. God DOES hear our prayers and He WILL answer us. It just may not be the answer we were expecting. I love how Andy put it, “God will either give you what you prayed for or He will give you what you would have asked for had you known all He knows.”
Dear one, could “embracing the medical arts” be the very thing God is asking you to trust Him with?
It certainly was for me. I went to therapy week after week for a year before setting my fear aside in order to allow my body to take in a chemical it was desperately lacking (serotonin). Once the medication kicked in, the life-altering anxiety (perpetual doom + despair) diminished and I was finally able to more fully embrace all I was learning.
Now, I am NOT telling you to just pop pills.
Illnesses like anxiety and depression CAN be improved through the *proper use of medication under the supervision of a doctor* but CANNOT be fully treated by medication alone. Medication is simply ONE potential component of your healing journey.
What I AM saying is: if your body or brain lacks what it needs to function properly, you will likely feel that it is impossible to fully embrace your faith in God’s healing power or take any steps towards healing.
As you pray and seek God for wisdom regarding your situation, remember to FRAME YOUR PERSPECTIVE THROUGH THE LENS OF HIS LOVE FOR YOU. As you do that, I pray for the transformative power of His Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth as you seek after Him.
