part0047

People are very divided on the idea of prayer. Some see it as a direct communication with God and a means to ask for whatever they want, others see it as nothing more than talking to oneself. So where do these beliefs come from and more importantly, is there a point to prayer?

Prayer has been around long before Christianity when the recipient(s) of the prayers were many different gods and spirits. How else would one get it to rain if not by prayer or a ceremonial dance? Fast forward many years to the time of Jesus. Jesus was quite clear about prayer and the effectiveness of prayer:

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:21-22

Jesus has reportedly said repeatedly (Mark 11:22-26, Matthew 7:7-11, Matthew 18:19-20, John 15:7, John 15:16, John 16:23-24) that anything you want will be achieved if you pray for it in his name. In some cases, he throws in “if your faith is strong enough.” Given these very clear and repeated assurances made by Jesus himself, it’s quite clear why believing Christians put so much faith in prayer. But as we know, prayer, even by the most faithful, doesn’t always work. Why not?

As a human, I cannot help but get upset when my fellow humans are being taken advantage of. In the case of failed prayer, the reasons can be as benign such as “it’s not God’s will” or as emotionally devastating as “your faith isn’t strong enough.” The failure is no longer on the part of God, but on you, the pathetic human who is not worthy of having such prayers answered. Or even worse, in the case of evangelists and “healing” ceremonies, who say the limb you lost in the war didn’t grow back because “your financial offering was not large enough.”

There have been several studies done on prayer over the years all with, as expected, “mixed results.” This led to the Templeton Foundation , a well-known Christian organization supporting scientific discoveries, funding $2.4 million for a 10-year exhaustive study on what is called intercessory prayer , or praying on behalf of others. The results were not quite what anyone expected. Those being prayed for, who knew they were being prayed for, did worse than the group not being prayed for. For a detailed description of the study and results, Google “Templeton Foundation prayer study. ”

Petitionary prayer is asking God for things you want for yourself. These can be very noble things like “courage” or very self-centered and materialistic things like “a job that pays more so I can get that new Mercedes.” Usually, petitionary prayer is something like praying to find a companion to share your life with, a cure for a terminal illness you might have, or less suffering from a temporary ailment. Does this kind of prayer work? This answer is not as black and white as one would expect.

If you pray to roll a one on a single die, your prayer will “work” about one in six times on average. However, if you pray for something that you have either direct or indirect control over, prayer can have a significant impact. Why the difference? We are only beginning to understand the power of our mind and its relationship to our physical body, but that connection is there and has been proven. This is most evident in the placebo effect. If you believe your mind or body will respond in a certain way, in some cases, it will be true. One can argue that this appearance of what nontheists call a form of “mind over matter” is nothing more than God doing his magic. But both the placebo effect and prayer — from one who believes in the effectiveness of prayer — have similar effects. This is independent of religion and faith.

We have already seen that Jesus talks about prayer in some detail in the Bible. It is also discussed in many of the letters from Paul and those written in the name of Paul, plus many times in the Old Testament. But does this idea of asking God for what we want conflict with our modern definition of God? Today, the God of the Bible is defined as an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good, and personal God who is everywhere. If this accurately describes God, then:

If God knows what’s best for us, why not just trust him with what he has planned for us? Who are we to question the will of God? If God wants us to have painful hemorrhoids then so be it. One can even argue that running to CVS to purchase some “Preparation H” would be interfering with his plan. It seems like the whole idea of prayer is contradictory to having faith in a God who always does what is best for us.

If God is omniscient (all-knowing), then doesn’t he already know exactly what we want? It is believed that prayer is required because God can only “hear” us when we say something out loud or concentrate on thoughts so they can be “transmitted” to him. An all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect God would not have these kinds of limits. This God would know what you want, even before you knew. The act of prayer is not required.

What happens when millions of faithful, deserving Christians all pray to win the lottery? They can’t all win. Does God pick favorites? How come atheists win the lottery too?

Some may argue that prayer is really just an act of faith to prove to God your devotion to him. Once again, an all-knowing God would not require proof of your devotion, furthermore, a physical act by no means can represent the faith one has inside. Prayer is not for God; prayer is for people.

Growing up, each night before bed my mom use to remind me to say my prayers. This included thanking God for all the good things in my life, and asking God to help those less fortunate. This is a wonderful practice that I believe has tremendous value. But as a non-believer, I cannot get myself to talk to a God who I don’t believe is there, nor can I ask this of my children. But being consciously grateful for your good fortune does not require a god, and helping the less fortunate rather than asking God to, will be better for everyone.

Prayer is also directly related to hope. When all other options are exhausted, many people who would not consider themselves theists resort to prayer. I am reminded of George Bailey at the “end of his rope” praying for help AFTER he does the unthinkable — asks Potter for help. In a more personal example, several years ago, in my liberal Christianity days, I was suffering from cluster headaches — a kind of pain that can only be equated to childbirth (so they tell me). I did pray for the headaches to stop and sure enough, they did — six weeks after they started — which is the typical cycle of cluster headaches. The hope of prayer is a great thing; something that the most certain atheist can call on if needed. Of course, prayer, when used in place of medical attention, especially on critically-ill children, is far from a benefit .

If prayer makes you feel good, gives you confidence, allows apparently miraculous changes to happen in your body then keep doing it. If, however, your unanswered prayers have led you to feel ignored or “abandoned by God” consider the possibility that prayer may be nothing more than the act of solidifying your thoughts and focusing on what you want. Sometime you will get it, sometimes you won’t. No God required.