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Prayer: Spiritual Superstition or Spiritual Science?

© Richard Kent Matthews

(I have written a number of articles for this New Thought topic dealing with prayer. Why the repetition? Well, I write as the Spirit moves me and prayer is key. It can't be mentioned and discussed enough. Each of these articles presents prayer from a slightly different angle, so it's more reinforcement than repetition. If you enjoyed the other ones, I know you'll like this one. Your comments are welcome.)

"I think prayer is hocus pocus. In this age of technology, there is no room for such nonsense. We either pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, or suffer the consequences. No one is going to save us from our own folly, least of all some pie-in-the-sky deity. We are separate individuals, completely alone. Prayer? Garbage!"

These words echo the feelings of not just a few lonely, embittered people in this world. You'll find this way of thinking within virtually every level of society. Even some so-called religious types, if they were to be truthful, would say they doubt that prayers are answered.

Now, personally, I believe in the power of prayer. I used to think the prayer had to be presented to the Powers That Be in certain prescribed ways. I was raised to believe that in order for God to answer your prayer, you must be very penitent and petitionary (ery?). In essence, begging was in order. Down on your knees, hands in the air, heart of purity. Please, please!

My mind has changed, not because I read something new or heard a report, not because angels are making a popular comeback. No, I personally have seen prayer answered in big ways, not only for me, but for many around me. I've seen cancer disappear (verified by physicians), alcoholism end abruptly, new careers begun, children returned home. And in this ministry, everything we have put out to the universe has come back to us manyfold. We have never asked for tithing, yet our needs have always been met.

Science says that unless an experiment is repeatable, it is not verifiable. If that is the case, prayer is very scientific. According to author Larry Dossey, in recent experiments, researchers held prayer vigils for patients in local hospitals. To verify the outcome, only certain ones were prayed for over a certain period. Different forms and manners of prayers were employed. Of the group prayed for, 75-90% either improved dramatically or completely recovered from their ailment. Of the group not prayed for, everything remained the same.

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