A growing proportion of the population nowadays declares they don’t have any religious affiliation – for instance, during the two decades from 1985 to 2004, the percentage of Canadians who were not belonging to a certain denomination or did not attend religious services increased from 30% to 44%, and numbers must have grown even more in the last years.
While more and more people prefer to create their own personal religion, this decline we have mentioned before has also lead to the abandonment of formal religious practice, such as the habit of prayer. Prayer was taken out of the public space, like schools, but people can still continue to address their thoughts and concerns to God at their own initiative. Even if you are not a very religious person and don’t attend church every week, as long as you believe in a higher power it’s worth building up a persevering prayer life due to these benefits:
Prayer reduces stress
Prayer has positive effects on physical and mental health, especially when your prayer focuses on other people and their welfare. Praying for material gains was found not to tackle the negative effects of stress.
The reason why prayer makes us feel more relaxed is that we stop thinking about our problems and start focusing on other people’s needs. Furthermore, no matter what we pray for, the act of prayer allows us to transfer problems and worries from our shoulders into the hands of the Almighty, and we feel less burdened and stressed. And less stress also means better health!
Prayer offers peace of mind
Everyone makes mistakes every once in awhile in their life and feels guilty about their wrongdoing. Confessing your faults through prayer will help you feel forgiven and move forward, while also acknowledging the gravity of your doings and choosing not to repeat them.
Prayer helps building strong relationships
Prayer is most times a personal habit, but have you considered its effects can be multiplied by praying with someone else? Praying with a close friend or with a family member will bring you closer together and strengthen your relationship.
Prayer makes you more forgiving
Do you feel overwhelmed with anger and discontent every day? You are more likely to see other people’s mistakes than their qualities?
It’s not surprising – when you feel like you are entitled to everything and refuse the idea of humbleness, it’s difficult to accept your neighbor’s faults. Prayer, on the other hand, allows you to acknowledge your own errors, let go of negative feelings and admit the existence of a higher being, which eventually makes you more forgiving and peaceful.
Prayer gives you hope
Entrusting your problems to God gives you hope that things will work out well. Prayer doesn’t guarantee that all our wishes will be fulfilled, but allows us to stop worrying and feel more lighthearted in times of trouble or sorrow. Moreover, when you dissociate from your problems, you start to think more clearly and open up to opportunities you weren’t able to see before.
In spite of the everlasting clash between science and religion, some scientists have lately become less critical of religion and started looking for evidence of prayer benefits. The advantages they have discovered are measurable and can be experienced by anyone who takes up this healthy and spiritual enriching habit.
About the author:
By Spirit Room, a spiritual direction service, similar to a Winnipeg psychic (http://www.spiritroom.ca)
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