The Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer - Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

This prayer sustained me during a time of intense spiritual warfare when I couldn’t focus on anything like reading the Bible or coming up with my own words to pray. I felt utterly worthless. I was exceedingly anxious. Satan was making his accusations. This prayer was all I could hang on to. It was a ray of light and hope in a dark place. For it reminded me of the prayer of the publican which it is in part. Jesus said that that man went home justified. It also reminded me that Jesus came into the world to save sinners and to seek out those who were lost. So the prayer was addressed to Him who was and is my hope. This period lasted a couple of months. And I prayed the prayer continuously, over and over. And Jesus brought me through.

Then recently, I had a panic attack with lots of physiological sensations. I knew what it was but the only prayer I was capable of praying was the Jesus Prayer. I prayed it quietly over and over until I was stabilized. It enabled me to hold onto His hand in the midst of the crisis, the runaway feelings.

I thought I would share in case anyone is in a similar situation.