Do You Pray?
If you answered yes, you are not alone. According to a LifeWay Research study of prayer in America:
“About half of Americans (48 percent) say they pray at least every day, while a third (31 percent) say they pray several times a day. Overall, about two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans say they pray at least once a month.”
For Whom Do You Pray?
If you have a friend who prays, chances are you are in their prayers! About four of every five Americans who pray do so for family or friends. Three of four pray for help with their own difficulties and problems, and one in two give thanks for recent blessings (good things that happen). Interestingly, slightly over one in three of Americans who pray do so for their enemies and four in ten have prayed for people who have mistreated them.
Prayer Works!
At least some of the prayers are answered for over eight of every ten Americans who pray. One in four believe all of their prayers are answered, one in five claim most of their prayers are answered, and nearly four in ten assert that some of their prayers are answered. One in seven are unsure and only three in a hundred feel that none of their prayers are answered.
Prayer Works, so Why Withhold…?
We tend to withhold prayer for politicians…even when we desire them to uphold and live by our faith. Only slightly over one of ten Americans who pray do so for government officials, far fewer than the nearly four in ten who pray for their enemies! We also tend to withhold prayer from those whose beliefs differ from our own. Only one if five pray for people of other faiths or people of no faith—about the same percentage that pray they will win the lottery!
Prayer is not a privilege!
Prayer still has widespread appeal in American life. Prayer groups and prayer vigils yield amazing results. Anyone can do it and we can do it for anyone at any time. According to Max Lucado, author of Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer,
“Prayer is not a privilege just for the pious or an opportunity for a chosen few, prayer is God’s open invitation to talk—simply, openly and powerfully.”
Take some time now. Accept God’s invitation.
Need a little more convincing?
Don Piper was dead…for ninety minutes. He spent that time in heaven…and did not want to return to life. But one man’s prayers were answered and Don not only came back to life after, but suffered no brain damage. Watch these videos to learn more about Don and his story.
Is There More?
Can prayer heal? Can it strengthen your brain, improve memory and prevent mental decline? Our bodies inevitably yield to the onslaught of time. Will prayer fortify our spirits against the ravages of time, improving our relationships, contribution and our overall happiness? Does science have anything to say about this?
According to the editors of the Mind Health Report who sought to provide scientific answers to these questions:
“Praying impacts your brain, and by extension, your overall health and happiness. Prayer Prevents Mental Decline. Science proves prayer can restore your brain and your memories.”
The Mind Help Report investigative team conducted interviews with members of the scientific medical community to determine what neuroscientists learned from laboratory tests and double-blind medical studies regarding the effectiveness of prayer.
“Frankly , we were both surprised and excited, by what we found…”
Scientists found that not only did prayer increase measured brain activity, but they found that it helped reduce stress and thus lowered blood pressure. They found correlation to improved resistance to disease and harmful negative emotions. One can search the internet and find numerous double blind experiments regarding the efficacy of prayer supporting both the power or the impotence of prayer. Naysayers dismiss individual experiences and claim that the larger studies with positive results were not truly double blind (double blind means neither the study groups nor the statisticians were privy to which group was prayed for and which was not). They further argue that a truly omnipotent God could skew the results to the negative or positive depending on how He (or She) feels about being ‘tested.’ Supporters claim the studies which yeilded positive results (the groups were not flawed and that their personal experiences stand as additional proof that prayer works. As noted above, only three of every hundred Americans who engage in prayer believe that their prayers are go unanswered and only fourteen in one hundred are unsure. The rest (83%) who pray claim some, most or all of their prayers are answered.
What goes on in your brain while you pray? Why is it beneficial? And how often should you pray?
Your brain is perhaps your most amazing organ, yet weighs only about three pounds and has the constancy of a firm jelly. According to Dr. Andrew Newberg of the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Jefferson University, two parts of the brain are much more important to health and happiness than other areas. The frontal lobe and the anterior cingulate system. The frontal lobe is used when we focus, make plans, reason, read or speak…in other words…almost every waking moment. Unfortunately, the brain is also like a muscle and can shrink with age. This shrinkage has been associated with memory loss, mental decline and even dementia. Dr. Newberg found that stimulation from praying regularly can prevent or slow such shrinkage and the associated effects.
“Prayer stimulates the frontal lobe, helps keep it healthy, and prevents age-related shrinkage. However…casual prayer for just a few minutes per day had not significant impact on the frontal lobe.”
Prayer-The Ultimate Win-Win
Dr. Newberg suggests that prayer—deep thought—opens a connection to a higher power. That connection, in turn, stimulates our brain. Thus, when we pray deeply, even when we are praying for others, we receive benefit. He suggests this happens whether or not we believe in a higher power. In other words, meditation alone will stimulate our brains. However, meditation alone does not lead to answered prayers. Recall that 83% of Americans who pray receive answers to some or all of their prayers (14% are unsure if prayers are answered and only 3% say their prayers are not answered). My personal experiences with prayer have been powerful…prayers for myself and especially prayers for others. I’ve submitted prayer requests to prayer teams at my church without telling the subject of my prayers…and the results have been stunning. Peace and healing. When we pray…we are executing the ultimate win-win. Our brains benefit and many of our prayers are answered. Thus…it stands to reason, we should pray daily. We should pray deeply. We should pray for others whom we care about. We should give thanks for all the good we encounter. We should pray for our enemies, pray for those whose faith differs from our own…and yes…we should even pray for politicians!
Sources: Americans Pray for Friends and Family…, Dr. Gary Small: What Prayer Does to Your Brain, About How Prayer Affects the Brain
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