Home » Blog » Prayer » True Prayers Answered Stories » What Prayer Can Do: Anger Management

What Prayer Can Do: Anger Management

When notified by email that a freelance assignment of long-standing had ended, she struggled with how to respond. Prayer brought her anwer.

A woman reads email on her tablet.
Prayer is a powerful force for good. At Guideposts, we believe in the strength of prayer to bring comfort, hope, and healing. Your generous donation today will help us continue to share the power of prayer with those in need. Together, through prayer and support, we can make a difference.

I checked my e-mail, clicking on a message from one of the magazines I worked for as a photo stylist. Maybe they had a new assignment for me. I was in for the shock of my life.

After 30 loyal years they were telling me I wouldn’t be working with them again—ever! They wanted new people to give the magazine a new look. Old faithfuls like me were no longer needed, thank you very much.

I read the e-mail again, getting more and more furious. It wasn’t just the loss of income that upset me—though I needed all the work I could get. It was the way the message made me feel disposable and unappreciated.

All those hours I spent getting a scene just right for the camera. All those ideas I had for special publications that had been successful…

Well, if that was what they thought of me, I was going to say what I thought of them. I hit Reply, and got ready to let them have it. I started three angry e-mails, but none of them sounded right. Why couldn’t I find the words I wanted? I certainly knew how I felt… angry, bitter, cheated.

Finally I took a break. I needed time to think. No, I needed time to pray. God knew how hard I’d worked for the magazine. He knew how hurt I was about being dropped. Tell me what to say to feel better about this, I asked him.

When the answer came, it wasn’t what I expected. I tried to dismiss it. How could I possibly do what was being asked of me? Yet the urge persisted. It grew. I started typing.

This time the words came in a rush. I thanked my former employer for the opportunity to work with all the wonderful people I had met and for all I had learned. I even thanked them for so long an association. I turned everything I was upset about into something to be thankful for.

I hit Send, and felt my spirit lift. I hadn’t written the e-mail I’d intended to write. I wrote the one I was intended to.

Download your FREE ebook, A Prayer for Every Need, by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

Share this story

WIG25 Right Rail ad

Community Newsletter

Get More Inspiration Delivered to Your Inbox

Scroll to Top