How to pray when Suffering
When you suffer you are closest to God. In your suffering it might be the time when it’s hardest to pray. Remember that saying: Pray hardest when it’s hardest to pray. Real suffering takes away your natural ability to focus.
As true followers of Jesus Christ a personal tribulation is guaranteed. Be ready, by practicing a daily prayer routine. Jesus said:
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:18-19
Paul reminds us:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12
Remember you have access to supernatural strength and comfort through God’s own Holy Spirit. When Jesus died on the cross for us He not only redeemed us for our sins, He gifted us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 16:7
When you sufferer and at all times pray. As Catholics we have so many ways to pray.
1. Vocal prayers, with set prayers like the Rosary.
2. Lectio Divina, “divine reading” the practice of reading scripture out loud.
3. Through songs of praise
4. Mental prayer, which is actually not praying in your head. In a nutshell, mental prayer is, transporting yourself through your imagination into a gospel scene with Jesus.
5. Pick a devotion: Novena, chapelet, litany etc…
When going through intense suffering, you must create and following a simple prayer routine. And yes you can do it! You might sleep less, eat less, have less fun (distraction). All that is good because it purifies you and strengthens you supernaturally to sacrifice. Prayer is a form of sacrifice for God. And ask Mary to pray for you and your guardian angel to help you develop the discipline to pray.
How to pray when suffering.
1. Surrender to Jesus.
There is a novena known as the Surrender Novena. Really it should be prayed every day by everyone because as Jesus tells us in the Lord’s Prayer when His deciples asked him how to pray: “ …thy will be done” not our will but God’s will. In deep suffering there is a need to know and do God’s will. One thing is true for every human being on the planet, God wants you to surrender to Him. Pray the words of the surrender novena past the nine days, pray it every day until you truly surrender. And then keep praying it and surrendering everyday again and again.
“Oh Jesus I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.” (Repeat 10 times) Amen.
If your suffering involves a wrong against you by someone, it may be very hard, but you can also surrender that person to Jesus, even before you are ready forgive them.
“Oh Jesus I surrender [insert name] to you, take care of everything. Amen”
If you find yourself ruminating over wrongs. Stop immediately and repeat the Surrender Novena.
2. Unity Prayer to stay close to Jesus.
Memorize and recite the following prayer first thing each morning and throughout the day:
“My Adorable Jesus, May our feet journey together; may our hands gather in unison, may our souls be in harmony, may our thoughts be as one, may our ears listen to the silence together; may our glances profoundly penetrate each other, and may our lips pray together to gain mercy from the Eternal Father. Amen”
then pray for Mercy:
“Most precious blood of Jesus Christ save us and the whole world” (Pray 5 times) Amen.
Or The Jesus Prayer based on Luke 18:13
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. Amen.”
3. Pray the Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries.
You don’t have to be Catholic to pray the Rosary. It is a form of both vocal and mental prayer. I wrote a detailed post on how to pray the Rosary here.
When in the middle of suffering, it is comforting beyond reason to pray a Sorrowful Mystery Rosary and meditate on the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand Jesus’s passion, His suffering. Meditate on the 5 sorrowful mysteries until you get it, until you love Jesus and can’t ignore Him or ever be lukewarm toward His suffering ever again.
Each Rosary asks mama Mary to pray for you, as you meditate on the Gospel account of Jesus’s suffering:
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries
5. The Crucifixion-Lk 23:33 Meditating on Jesus’s humility upon being crucified takes you outside of your suffering and brings you to Jesus.
4. Pray Psalms of Praise in your worst Suffering.
Read scripture out loud to strengthen yourself and arm yourself in suffering. Any scripture that calls you is good as it’s God’s word. But psalms of praise in particular will strengthen your faith and please God, as we are directed to do 4 things when we pray and one of them is to thank God. Thank God at all times and believe that God is good all the time. His ways are higher than ours; his intellect is Higher than ours. Believe all our suffering is for the Greater Glory of God.
Psalm 119 is a prayer thanking God for our affliction as it drew us closer to Him.
5. Offer up your suffering.
If you are suffering in any way don’t let your suffering go to waste! Offer it up immediately to Jesus for his mission via this prayer:
“O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, all that this day may bring, be they good or bad: for the love of God, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen”
6. Remember your Guardian Angel
Simple Guardian Angel prayer:
“Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.”
Each human really is assigned a guardian angel and they are wiser and more powerful than us. They never leave us. They pray for us. Your guardian angel has been praying for you your whole life. Believe and a remember your angel.
7. Petition God.
Sincerely,
Laura
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