In Case of Emergency…Just Pray!

Prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have, and I believe it is essential to overcoming anxiety. A lot of people try to make it sound more complicated than it is, but essentially prayer is simply talking to God about whatever is on your heart. And as I’ve grown in my relationship with Jesus throughout the years, I’ve come to the place where it continually amazes me.

I can remember when I used to say, “Well, I guess there’s nothing left for me to do but pray.” I hear some people say this today, but this way of thinking is totally misguided. Prayer should never be the last thing we do after we have done everything else we can think of; it should be our first response in every situation.

I try to remember to pray and ask God to solve my problems the minute they arise. And after studying God’s Word for 45 years and going through many challenging situations, I have definitely learned that one prayer can accomplish more in a moment than I could accomplish in a lifetime.

Some people do not truly understand prayer. Prayer is not an obligation we are required to fulfill as Christians—it is the greatest privilege we have. Prayer can be simple yet powerful, unless we complicate it through a lack of understanding what it really is.

Prayer is simply talking to God, just as we would talk to a good friend. He is all-powerful and wants to help us in every difficulty we face. However, the Bible says that we have not because we ask not (see James 4:2). Too often, we fail to ask Him for what we need, and we suffer for a long time because we look to every other source we know before looking to Him.

So, I want to encourage you today: Learn to pray immediately when you are anxious or worried about anything. Don’t wait. There’s no reason to, because God is available to help you the moment you call upon Him.

Adapted from the book The Answer to Anxiety by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2023 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.