Prayer – The Most Reliable Self-Help Tool

by Arpita Saxena, guest writer for Angel Messenger

A few months back, I had visited quite a few de-addiction centers in Mumbai. While each rehab centre used different addiction recovery measures, one thing was common in nearly all rehab centres – They had put up a common prayer which said – “God, grant me Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can and the Wisdom to know the difference.”

While the rehab centers were seldom following a spiritual healing path for their inpatients, as per my conversation with them, deep down, they knew that eliminating addiction does require the Higher Power’s grace.

So, what is prayer? Is it about babbling words and phrases which are hard to understand or worse, relate to? Is it a tedious ritual involving a large chunk of your time and money not to mention energy?

Well, I choose to define prayer just as a conversation with God – clear, honest and unadorned – at any time or place. Prayer for me is knowing that I will be heard and comforted by anything weighing on my mind, which most of the time seems grim from a human perspective.

Over the years, I have come across a slew of advice pieces to living a happy life and staying positive when the going gets tough, they are;

Feed your faith.

Face your fears

Believe in yourself

Love and accept yourself the way you are

Move out of your comfort zone.

See yourself winning/doing well instead of losing.

Visualise what you want.

Cut out self-sabotaging habits from your life

Follow your dreams.

Do not listen to naysayers.

Be the highest version of yourself.

Value relationships.

Forgive.

Have fun and be silly.

….I could just go on, trust me!

But let’s be human. When we’re feeling morose, life could feel a shade darker than it actually could ever get, affirmations sound fake and visualizing yourself doing good seems the hardest. Since the universe catches your intentions and not merely words, it is unlikely to manifest any of your desires unless powered up by belief and passion.

We all know that giving what we desire is the quickest way to receive it – Want love? Give love. Want money? Tithe. Need peace? Create peace.

However, with our wet-blanket sentiment, wishing the best for others, forgiving them, or doing a favor to them may feel like an uphill task, unintentionally of course.

So, how do you find the silver lining? How do you come out of this peevish spell? And, how do you rekindle your faith in yourself and the goodness of.. well..life?

Pray. Yes, it can be as simple as that. There is no better way to give yourself a powerfully-positive boost than to pray. Ask for help from God and be grateful for all His blessings seen and unseen. Talk your heart out. Ask Him to open your heart to love, joy, and peace. Ask Him to strengthen your faith in Him and in yourself. Ask him to help you adapt miracle-mindedness. Ask Him to help you realize your Divine gifts and talents, and hone your channels to receive His guidance, whenever, wherever.

When I was grappling with my panic attacks three years ago following a severe accident in which I had seriously injured my body, I was undergoing an existential crisis. I had lost faith that I existed, or anybody existed, for that matter. I’d worry that eventually I and everybody would die and who knows what lies after death? Maybe a unlimited darkness? And even if there was life after death, where will I go? What if one of my loved ones was held back in hell tormented by demons, and the rest of went to heaven? Or worse, if I get to reincarnate, what if I reincarnate as a beggar or an impoverished sex worker?

Well, as hilarious as they may sound, I was breathing with such compulsive thoughts every second of the day. These imaginary worries sent jitters down my spine. I frequently hid in my office restrooms, sobbing, and had withdrawn myself from any social life. While I went to work every day and lived in a women’s hostel, I seldom interacted with anyone for months. Thankfully, my desire to pray and talk to God and the angels were heightened during this time and they gradually rescued me from this toxic rut shepherding me towards the path of LOVE. God also sent some really gentle and loving people by my side at such a trying time who were not related to me in any way (though they must have been in spirit :)).

Here are some powerful prayers that helped me heal and regain my balance:

Thank You, God, for always reminding me that love is the only reality in life.

Thank You, God, for Your complete support and guidance on my life path.

Thank You, God, for always keeping me and my loved ones safe, healthy and happy.

Thank You, God, for helping me understand Your plans and making me act in tandem with them.

Thank You, God, for always keeping me in perfect harmony with my Higher Self.

About the Writer:

Arpita is a journalist and has an intrinsic inclination towards spirituality and self-help. She vehemently follows the works of Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Doreen Virtue, Marianne Willamson, and the likes. Arpita caters to her love for writing about life and its lessons via blog, Quora, Twitter, among other social media platforms.