Josiah Concept Ministries

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ “
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.‘ ” [Mat 4:5-7, emphasis added]

Science has conducted many studies of prayer and the effect it has on patients. Hopeful Christians automatically assume that the studies all conclude that prayer is an effective weapon in the practice of medicine. I am here to burst everyone’s bubble: whenever prayer is tested scientifically, it is shown to have no effect whatsoever. Scientists often conclude in these studies that any effectiveness attributed to prayer is purely wishful thinking.

Making this assertion on a Christian website probably shocks many people. In fact, few Christians may have the stomach to even continue reading this article. That’s fine; Jesus lost quite a few followers when He taught things difficult to accept (Jn 6:66). For those that are still here, it is very true: prayer has repeatedly been shown to have no effect when tested in research studies. But, this finding should not shake any informed Christian’s faith because this finding is exactly what we should expect!

Remember that the Bible repeatedly promises that God will hear our prayers, not that He will answer them. Answered prayers must come from people who are obedient to the Lord and who have a pure motive. God also promises to provide for our needs, not for our wants. Finally, what we ask for must be in accordance with God’s will. This is why Christ prayed “Let your will, not mine, be done.”

First, consider the real motivation behind the prayers offered. Was the motivation to honestly heal the sick individual, or was it to test the effectiveness of prayer, and by extension the Power behind it?

I’m inclined to think that the second motive was really behind it all. God refuses to let us test Him (Deut 6:16). Therefore, would we actually expect Him to answer a prayer that is an obvious test? God prefers to remain hidden (Ps 89:46).

God has elsewhere given us enough evidence that He exists:

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. [Rom 1:20]

Strong language from the apostle Paul. He says that men are without excuse. There is no excuse for not noticing that God is real.

Two specific articles are cited to help the atheists prove this case against prayer. The first one clearly states that the study mentioned is only one of many. No results are given for the other studies, only for the one that concludes prayer is ineffective. Again, we would not expect a scientific study to confirm the validity of prayer, but it is interesting that an article with the agenda of disproving prayer only outlines the results of a test that proves their point. Biased, anyone?

The second article openly admits its limitations. It says that science cannot measure the supernatural.

In both cases, the prayers were offered by church congregations who agreed to participate in the study. They prayed every day starting the day before the surgery and for two weeks after. Prior to this, no one had any contact with the congregation. No effort was made to change the family of the patient’s normal prayer patterns.

This is scientific? Mythbusters might as well have done this. With some explosions added in for effect, of course.

The theologians quoted in the first article expressed no surprise at these findings. That, of course, is pounced on by atheists who use that to declare that apathy on the part of religious leaders is evidence that they knew prayer was a waste of time all along. Calm, rational responses by Christian theologians, who were expected to act hysterical, are met with charges of conspiracy. This is a pretty paranoid world that the atheists have carved out for themselves.

So, why are theologians neither surprised nor concerned about this finding? The conspiratoral conclusions reached by atheists are a far cry from the real reasons, cited by the first article:

Historically, religions have promoted many kinds of prayer. Prayers of praise, thanksgiving and repentance have been highly esteemed, while intercessions of the kind done in the Benson study — appeals to God to take some action — are of lesser importance. They represent a less-respected magical wing of religion.

And:

In fact, many theologians reject out of hand the notion that any person or group can effectively intercede with God in any respect. Paul Tillich and Karl Barth, the two major Christian theologians of the 20th century (and certainly no opponents of prayer) would have scoffed at the idea. The Lord’s Prayer, the central prayer of Christendom, contains no plea for God to influence specific events in people’s lives.

Atheists would like to reduce God to a prayer-answering machine. God has His own unfathomable plan, and He does not change it for our pleas. Prayer can help in other ways than just miraculous healing, though skeptics never seem to consider that.

This same article makes that point:

Prayers are expressions of empathy that strengthen a caring community and bring comfort to those who are suffering. Comfort in this context undoubtedly has therapeutic health benefits. But scientists should not leap to the assumption that the ruler of the universe can be mechanically requisitioned to intervene in people’s suffering or health.

It seems that Christians are not the atheists’ only target these days. Positive attitudes are also under fire, as new studies find these to also be ineffective. So it seems that atheists want everyone to be as bitter as Madeline Murray O’Hare was. They fail, however, to mention certain points from the article they mention that are contrary to the position that they present. Thus, they would never reprint this:

A positive attitude can help lead to healthier eating habits, stopping smoking, drinking less, exercising more and learning more information about one’s disease and treatment options. Cancer patients have learned to live with therapy, avoid fatigue and even have returned to work, said Dr. LaMar McGinnis, senior medical consultant for the Atlanta-based society.

The same can be said for prayer. It can help in other ways that medical science cannot study.

None of the sources that were cited ever took the position that prayer is out of place, outlandish, superstitious, or unnecessary. Only atheists maintain that. While they purport that an infinite God can be put under the microscope in a finite study, I still hold to the position that we cannot contain or measure the God that we serve.

A study like this is nothing more than a test for God. He does not take tests. He does not bow to us. We are made for Him, for His glory. He is not a dog that we train to do a neat trick. “Watch this prayer…” He is our Creator, and our prayers should not seek to be selfish expressions of our own earthly desires, they should request God use us for His will and to further His glory.