Poll Does Prayer Help You Feel Safer?

[Deleted member 12723]

I believe in a higher power. I am not religous, been burned and branded there. Deeply, But I have a private faith I do not share with anyone,nor do I impose my beliefs on anyone. Ick. But I pray, I do not always get the answers I seek but good comes out of the bad. I tread very light on this topic having been burned so badly.

 

[chant2012]

Yes. I am a Christian and it helps me immensely.

 

[Changing4Best]

I've started to try to pray more often, trying to remember to pray if I get anxiety before it turns into a full blown panic attack. My tendency still is to focus on what's causing the anxiety rather than on praying. It is a discipline I need to continually school myself in!

 

[junglegirl]

I was spiritual before I was abused by a Christian fundamentalist. I now realize he was an old testament wackjob and is nothing like Christ. Realizing this gave me much comfort and I trust my individual spirituality even more now that I realized he did not have Christ. Yes I feel safer and more peaceful on the days I remember to pray.
:

 

[Tinyflame]

Gee, I can't quite recall the exact words but I heard a prayer tonight that said something like, "(I) will sleep soundly safe under the protection of God's wings". I was thinking, for weeks I really can't sleep, I can lay there until 4 or 5 in the morning. It makes me feel better, I hope I can sleep tonight.

(And I never thought of God as having 'wings'! :) ;) )

 

[MissKB]

Without prayer I wouldn't get through a day! It helps me immensely! After I realized that my parents weren't going to love me unconditionally; I learned God would. That's all I have to count on.

 

[Tinyflame]

I was just thinking, I would have the words but someone offered to take the paper from me. But I don't think it could have been used again- it had the date on it.

I should learn to be more assertive. :(

 

[Hashi]

@Junebug, I think that's one of the Psalms. If you have access to a Bible, maybe if you look through the Psalms for it?

This question about whether prayer makes you feel safer is a sad one for me. I'm not religious, I have my own concept of spirituality. Within that, prayer used to make me feel much safer. Now, I'm too angry with God/the universe to see any comfort there. I'm trying to find some way to make peace with this. I miss the connection I used to have.

At any rate, I still believe that there are greater energies than us, and that some of these are good. Knowing those for myself, and connecting to them, are the most important thing for me. My personal view is that I agree with what Louise Hay says. Paraphrasing: If you think you're all you have to rely on, no wonder you're frightened.

So my answer is still yes.

 

[Pencil]

http://www.openbible.info/topics/wings_

Psalms, indeed. I think it was especially Gerard Manley Hopkins who popularized the idea of God as 'winged', see for example 'God's Grandeur' and 'The Windhover'.

 

[Tinyflame]

Thanks @Hashi and @Pencil, yes # 91! :hug:

Hashi, the line ("If you think you're all you have to rely on.. frightened" ) sums it up for how I felt as a child, and on, in so many circumstances, nearly constant. Thank you.

 

[jocko]

I do now....I talk to myself alot lately too, out loud like a conversation. I don't know what else to do to make myself free anymore, it feels like there's such a huge negative momentum behind me already, I'm really confused with how split up I am in my head

 

[jocko]

I'm not often sure how much is 'God' and how much is my own delusional paranoia/ideas of reference interfering with 'normal' perception. Mindfulness meditation has helped alot and I feel like I get alot of weird coincidences & intuitions now but then I know damn well these would be called psychotic symptoms by western doctors. So far I've managed to keep grounded and not completely fly off into crazy land so there's that. Its comforting having that field of 'watchfulness' to talk to when I really need it, to not feel so alone. This is the problem with God talk, what are we referring to besides the bearded old guy in the sky? Do we mean our deeper subconscious winking back at our conscious mind or is it angels and guides? The Force? Higher self? There are lots of ways to see it