Prayer as a Grounding Practice
A new perspective
As Christians, we are called to pray. This call is a simple command, a foundation for every Christian to stand on.
The Bible gives numerous and varied examples of prayer. Prayer can be a cry of pain, a request, or even merely a groan.
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He gave them an example of prayer to follow:
Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13).
My Personal Prayer Story
Having this example does not mean that we have to pray these exact words (though we can). It gives us an example of the kinds of things that we should be praying for, things like praising the Father and requesting for our needs.
Having this example makes me feel like prayer should be simple, like we should know how to pray.
I don’t know about you but I’ve always struggled with prayer. It took me a long time to find a format that worked for me. In college a friend encouraged me to journal my prayers. This practice drastically changed my prayer life and drew me closer to Christ.
Throughout the last few years, as I have explored more of what prayer is and how I do it, I have found that prayer can be a form of grounding practice.
Definitions to be Mindful of
The idea of grounding is a popular one. You’ll find the most chatter about it in the world of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally focusing on the present moment with an attitude of openness, curiosity, and non-judgement.
Grounding is the practice of bringing one’s awareness back to the present moment. This can be done through naming things in one’s environment, standing in the grass while barefoot, or even doing a body scan.
Prayer as Grounding?
So, how can prayer be a grounding practice?
Prayer is a grounding practice because it directs our attention to what is true, right, and good. Just like other mindfulness practices, prayer can be a practice to help focus on the current moment. It is typically a practice that requires openness and even curiosity.
Prayer reminds us of our true reality. It grounds us in truth and the gospel message. Prayer can be a means of bringing us back to the truth.
I realize that prayer is broader than a mere grounding practice, but I think it is still good for us to use it as one.
Application
Here are some things you can try praying when you are in a moment of anxiety or depression:
Pray and ask God to remind you of what is true about your situation.
Pray and ask God to remind you of what is true about you--who you are in Christ.
Pray through scripture to ground yourself in what is true, right, and good.
Pray for others to ground yourself in the time and space you are in and to remind yourself to look outside of your pain.
Pray and give thanks to God for the things you have in your life. This helps you to look around and root yourself in your present reality.
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression or merely having big emotions, I would encourage you to pray.
I realize that praying will not fix all the things, and it is not always the best tool to use. It is a good habit and practice that we can implement into our everyday lives. It is a way to ground ourselves in truth and set our minds on God. Merely doing these things can quickly change our perspective and give us hope.