How Can You know if Prayer Works?
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Written by Jimmie Burroughs – Email to a friend
Some televised faith healers have diminished faith in answered prayer with their shenanigans; regardless, prayer still does work, but how can you know if prayer works? Millions across the world have experienced the results of true, fervent prayer. It is the purpose of this post to prove the validity of prayer and show you how to use prayer in your life.
The following is what one agnostic says, in his words, that proves that prayer is no more than just another superstition. The following statement includes no evidence whatsoever to prove that it is true:
The fascinating thing is that we can prove that prayer has no effect in exactly the same way that we can prove that horseshoes have no effect. We take 1,000 cancer patients. We pray over 500 of them, and we leave the other 500 alone. Then we look at cancer remission rates between the two groups. What we find is that prayers have zero benefit. We would see no statistical difference between the remission rates in the two groups of 500 patients
Let us consider an experiment that does have proof conducted much like proposed above only with heart patients:
Dr. Randolph Byrd, a Christian cardiologist, conducted a test to answer the question does prayer work. The test was conducted with 393 patients, admitted to the coronary care unit at San Francisco General Hospital, over a 10-month period. They were randomly selected, by computer, to either a 201 patient control group or the 192 patients who were prayed for daily by 5-7 people in home prayer groups. This was a randomized, double-blind experiment in which the patients, nurses, or doctors knew which group the patients were in.”
“Dr. Byrd discovered a definite pattern of obvious differences between the control group and those prayed for:”
- None of those prayed for required endotracheal intubation compared with twelve in the control group requiring the insertion of an artificial airway in the throat.
- The prayed for group experienced fewer cases of pneumonia and cardiopulmonary arrests.
- Those prayed for were five times less likely to require antibiotics.
- The prayed for group were three times less likely to develop pulmonary edema, a condition where the lungs fill with fluid.
- Fewer patients in the prayed for group died!
“Dr. Larry Dossey, M.D. has referred to Dr. Byrd’s experiment, stating, “If the technique being studied had been a new drug or a surgical procedure instead of prayer, it would almost certainly have been heralded as some sort of breakthrough” *
Today I read the question “If God really heals why doesn’t he restore and amputee’s arm or leg?” I can’t answer that question, but I do know that Jesus raised the dead to life and had a large number of witnesses when it took place. Several years ago, I heard the testimony of Marlyn Ford shares, in a live presentation, what she experienced through prayer, which is a greater miracle than receiving an arm, or leg. Listen to her answer to prayer in the video below:
I’m sure you noticed her words at the end where she says the doctor told her that medically she was sill blind, although she could see perfectly. This is truly what defines a real miracle; it involves dimensions that go beyond that which is explainable in normal terms, and can only be explained by supernatural intervention.
God always answers prayers of his faithful children. It is often misunderstood as why prayers seem to go unanswered when whatever prayed for does not materialize. God answers prayer in three different ways: no, yes, and wait awhile. We love our own children, but we do not always say yes to their every request, and the reason is that parents are older and wiser and know what is best for their children. God loves his children also, but he knows far more than parents about what’s best. He sometimes says yes just as parents would say to their children, and sometimes no, or wait when he knows the timing is not right.
Answered prayers are those prayers, which are prayed in Jesus’ name; not just a salutation, the way we customarily end our prayers, but instead, in the will of Jesus. It means to pray in the will of Jesus. When we pray in accordance to his will, we receive the answer to our prayer. The better we know the Lord, the better we understand his will.
Prayer is reserved for God’s children. Unbelievers often pray but scripture says God does not hear a sinner pray. Although we all sin, the Bible is speaking of the unbelieving sinner as well as the believer with un-confessed sin. “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will,” John 9:31.
In order to receive answers to our prayers, we must first have a relationship with God by the forgiveness of our sins and through trust in Jesus Christ. Once that relationship is established, God will hear and answer your prayers: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Moreover, God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms, in Christ Jesus, in order that, in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:4-9. If you would like, you can have a relationship with God today.
*Excerpt from an article by Dr. Keith Scott Mumby
APA: Is Prayer Just a Superstition? | OToBeFree Ministry. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://otobefree.com/?p=846_br
Further reading: “3 Ways to get people to like you in 60 Seconds or Less”
About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who has been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. There are hundreds of articles to help you on this website (Website Contents) in your personal growth.
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