Have you ever considered the fact that prayer & therapy go hand in hand as contradictory as some believe? Most people, especially faith-believing Christians tend to use prayer to push through their every obstacle they face, while viewing therapy for people in the world, those who lack faith. However, how true is this? Does going to therapy suggests that a person lacks faith and does not pray?
As someone who studied clinical theories in college, I have grown to realize how respectable of a career a therapist is and how naïve it is to see therapy as for people in the world. Let’s discuss prayer and therapy separately before bringing them together for as a powerful partnership that addresses our individual needs.
Prayer is crucial. It is a requirement as a Christian and without prayer you cannot make it. Yes, you read that correctly. Prayer is communicating with God, who answers us. Prayer is not an earthly move but a spiritual form of communicating in the spirit realm to a spiritual God. Remember, God is spirit and they that worship Him must do so in the spirit. [John 4:24]. Worship is a form of prayer, it is adoring God and it is done in the spirit. Anything done in the spirit, requires us to be completely surrendered in the spirit and as a result our spirit is fed. This form of prayer should teach us that prayer addresses our needs in the spirit, whatever they are. Prayer in any form addresses our heart and bring our mind under subjection to the things of Christ [Philippians 4:6-7], giving us a stable and sound mind to function effectively as spiritual beings in the earth realm [Romans 12:2]. Prayer is praying the scriptures which serves as a guide for the access we have to God and the power that resides in our access.
Therapy comes from a different angle serving a similar purpose. Therapy addresses our earthly existence, the experiences we encounter in the earth realm and how those experiences impact us in a negative or positive way. Our thoughts and behaviors are a result of our experiences in the earth realm. How we respond to our experiences will groom our thoughts and behaviors. Therapy is the bridge between those experiences and the impact they have on our lives, seeking to bring revelation, correct and teach us how heal from those impact. In short, therapy addresses our natural man – our mind, will and emotions from a theoretic perspective.
Prayer and therapy both serve a purpose, which to edify us and bring about healing, wholeness and purpose. Prayer effectively carries out this function by connecting us to God, while therapy repairs the breaking in our everyday earthly experience that can disconnect us. Think of it this way, you can still find purpose by going to therapy and receiving help to keep you walking on the ground. However, prayer is what elevates you above the ground into a deeper realm with the creator.
The moral of the story is, while both can be utilized without each other, sometimes a person has to learn how to walk before they can jump off the ground. On the other hand, God’s grace is so unique and universal that He understands our needs are all different and our access to Him does not carry the same pathway. Here is the wisdom, therapy is for anyone who desires it and if you choose to utilize therapy God will effectively address your needs. Prayer is for everyone and if you utilize it, God will effectively address all your needs. If you utilize both, God will effectively address your needs.