There are moments when our emotions are heightened or at a peak. Perhaps a person insults us regarding something sensitive in our lives, and our anger boils over. We fear that we are about to lose a person, and with our painful past experiences and traumas, we feel consumed with fear and anxiety. In an unreasonable sense, we may also be too fast to grow feelings for someone, losing track of our emotions and sense of personal attachment. There are many scenarios where our emotions can get the best of us. While emotions are not necessarily bad, they should be mitigated or managed wisely. In other words, we can’t lose our reason and objective perception of what is going on in our lives.
Father in heaven, when a circumstance causes me to be emotional, help me to exercise sound judgment and be objective about the situation. Help me manage my emotions and never be controlled by them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
How To Pray When Emotional
Emotions Are Not Lord
At times, even we Christians can go to the extreme of saying that emotions are not good and should therefore be suppressed. However, the Bible never tells us to suppress or kill our emotions. The Bible is full of moments where people experience a wide range of different emotions. We see David having times of joyous moments (2 Samuel 6:14), times of depression where he is consumed with fear, anxiety, and loneliness (Psalm 55:4-5; Psalm 56:3-4; Psalm 25:16-17), and even times of anger and frustration towards his enemies (Psalm 35:1-3), especially those who betrayed and left him. Even Jesus showed emotions when He wept after knowing that Lazarus had died (John 11:35), got angry after seeing His Father’s house turned into a den of thieves and money changers (John 2:13-17), showed love or compassion to crowds (Matthew 9:36), and felt fear and sorrow (Matthew 26:37-38), among so many more.
What the Bible instructs us, however, is to manage or take responsibility for our emotions. Being angry when someone insults us is not necessarily a sin (Ephesians 4:26), but we have to manage our anger and not end up sinning against the person who provoked us. Likewise, our past traumas may cause emotional turmoil within us, but we should not let our emotions get the best of us and define our choices, but rather take responsibility for them. Even when it comes to emotions invested in a relationship (not necessarily romantic), we have to guard our hearts and never put people on a pedestal or become too emotionally invested or dependent on them, so that they take over God’s throne in our hearts (Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.).
How To Pray When Emotional
How To Pray When Emotional
How To Manage Our Emotions?
We can manage our emotions by remembering certain Bible verses that allow us to do so as we apply those verses to our lives.
1. Exercise Self-control
(Proverbs 25:28; Galatians 5:22-23; Proverbs 16:32)
Self-control is a virtue that the Bible tells us any wise person has. If we desire to be wise men and women, then along that pursuit, we will pursue and aim to exercise self-control, for losing it only makes us unnecessarily vulnerable. Self-control is a fruit of the spirit. Self-control allows us to rule ourselves and not let ourselves be consumed by the emotions that we are feeling and being driven by. Because of self-control, we can choose not to be driven by passions.
2. Be Reasonable and Objective
(Titus 1:8; Proverbs 17:27; Proverbs 14:8; Proverbs 12:16)
While it is still a facet of self-control, having self-control means being level-headed, reasonable, and objective. That is why Paul instructs Titus regarding the appointment of elders and overseers that self-control is a requirement. Imagine a leader without an ounce of self-control. How would his decisions be made? We know biblically that a leader ought to be wise and prudent. The same is true in our daily lives; we must not be driven by emotions, but whenever we’re feeling emotional, we should handle things maturely by being level-headed, exercising reason and rationality (being emotional tends to be irrational), and looking at things objectively. Hence, a wise and prudent person who was just insulted can ignore it, knowing with their level-headedness that such an insult does not have to be something damaging to the ego. Also, as someone exercises reason, they only do that which is wise and reasonable, while refraining from doing anything foolish or irrational.
3. Guard Your Heart
(Proverbs 4:23)
Being emotional may have lots of root causes, perhaps something due to emotional trauma. It could even be a biological matter in someone’s brain. However, at times, it could also be a heart issue. For example, if one is easily angered or has so much hatred towards one who has wronged them, it could be that who is enthroned in someone’s heart is not God anymore, but someone or something that determines the person’s emotions. The heart is the very core of our being. It is where all emotions, choices, decisions, desires, and affections lie. Given that, it’s obvious why the Bible tells us to guard it and ensure that we keep it, always have God enthroned over it, diligently pursue its purity, and ask for God’s grace. Guarding our hearts is a daily pursuit.
Heavenly Father, whenever I am experiencing emotional turmoil, may I not let my emotions get the best of me. Help me take responsibility for them and exercise wisdom and prudence. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
How To Pray When Emotional
Pray When You Get Emotional
How, then, can we pray when we get emotional? A simple prayer that we can pray is one where we ask God for the grace and strength to do all that we have listed above. We ask God for grace, strength, and help through the Holy Spirit, who is in us to enable us to exercise self-control, rule our spirit, be a person of understanding, exercise reason, be objective, and guard our heart. Remember that we are through Christ who strengthens us, and by God’s grace we can ask of Him freely in times of need (Philippians 4:13; Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.). In fact, self-control is part of the fruit that the Holy Spirit teaches us.
Father in heaven, whenever I am emotional, and the inner recesses of my soul are in turmoil, don’t let my emotions consume me and drive me into foolish actions, but instead help me and strengthen my inner resilience to exercise self-control, be rational, and exercise wisdom and prudence in my words, thoughts, and actions. Help me guard my heart and be careful about what I allow in it. May You always be enthroned in my heart, and may the meditation of my heart always be acceptable in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
As you develop self-control, know that you don’t need to depend on your capabilities; you simply need to depend on the grace of God. In Titus 2:11-12, it is written that God’s grace didn’t just appear as salvation for us, which is the Gospel, but also for us to be able to live self-controlled, godly, and upright lives.