There\u2019s been much disparaging of \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d lately. But I\u2019ll tell you why prayer is good for you and for the world.<\/p>\n
Want to enrage a secularist? Well, the next time there\u2019s a natural disaster or national tragedy, such as another mass shooting, you can say that your \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d are with the victims.<\/p>\n
They seem to hate that, and say that \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d are not sufficient unless you also do something tangible, like passing a law. Well, I don\u2019t know how effective sending thoughts is, but I can guarantee you that prayer, as Jesus said, can move mountains.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just me saying this. Writing in National Review Online, Clay Routledge, a professor and psychological scientist, points to \u201cthe tested psychological and social benefits of prayer as well as the reality of how most believers turn to faith-based practices in addition to, not instead of, other courses of action.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let me share some of this good news about prayer.<\/p>\n
First, it\u2019s associated with well-being and health. In one study of older adults, the negative effects of financial problems on one\u2019s health were significantly reduced for people who pray regularly for others. For those who perceive of God as loving instead of as distant and unresponsive, prayer produces psychological benefits. People whose prayers centered on gratitude and care for others had the fewest symptoms of depression. I love that! Prayer is good medicine.<\/p>\n
But does prayer actually do anything? Or is it, as our critics say, merely a distraction? Well, for starters, Routledge says that prayer \u201cfrees up cognitive resources needed to focus on mental tasks by reducing the extent to which people are distracted by negative emotions.\u201d It also reduces alcohol consumption, helps promote a person\u2019s value of sacrifice, and strengthens one\u2019s relationships. Heck, prayer even makes you happier!<\/p>\n
And prayer doesn\u2019t lessen one\u2019s belief in science or medical treatment, by the way. As Routledge says, \u201cFor most believers, prayer isn\u2019t a substitute for data-based solutions. It is a personal resource that complements and may even help facilitate other thoughtful action.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of my heroes, the great William Wilberforce, accomplished more \u201cthoughtful action\u201d than most, as the key figure in abolishing the British slave trade. But Wilberforce was also a man of prayer \u2014 prayer that fueled his faith in Jesus and compelled him to act for the good of his fellow man. It was Wilberforce who said, \u201cOf all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe just maybe there\u2019s a connection between Wilberforce\u2019s \u201cthoughtful action\u201d and his humble prayer to our Savior.<\/p>\n
I have more good news about prayer. Jesus invites us to come to His Father in prayer, and there we will find answers. \u201cAsk,\u201d He promises, \u201cand it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now will we always receive precisely what we have sought? No, of course not! Every responsible father gives his children not all that they want, but all they truly need \u2014 and our loving heavenly Father is no exception. Prayer opens the pantry of God\u2019s provision.<\/p>\n
The best part \u2014 prayer takes our focus off ourselves and places it where it belongs \u2014 on God Himself. And in so doing we are changed, for the better.<\/p>\n
So the next time someone says you should do more than pray, remember this insight from Adoniram Gordon, the founder of Gordon College: \u201cYou can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.\u201d Amen!<\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
RESOURCES<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Prayer Is Good For \u2014 and the Evidence for It\u201d
\nClay Routledge, National Review, April 9, 2018
\n< https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2018\/04\/what-prayer-is-good-for-and-the-evidence-for-it ><\/p>\n
\u201cI Know Not What I Am, But To You I Flee: A Prayer of William Wilberforce\u201d
\nTrevin Wax, The Gospel Coalition, September 1, 2013
\n< https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/blogs\/trevin-wax\/i-know-not-what-i-am-but-to-you-i-flee-a-prayer-of-william-wilberforce\/ ><\/p>\n
\u201cPrayer 101\u201d
\nWarren W. Wiersbe, David C. Cook Publishing, 2016
\n< https:\/\/colsoncenter.christianbook.com\/prayer-101-warren-wiersbe\/9780781414470\/pd\/414473 ><\/p>\n
\u201cLetters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer\u201d
\nC. S. Lewis, HarperOne, 2017
\n< https:\/\/colsoncenter.christianbook.com\/letters-to-malcolm-chiefly-on-prayer\/c-s-lewis\/9780062565471\/pd\/565472 ><\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
Copyright (c) 2018 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. “BreakPoint” is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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