Can prayer change things?

Prayer is an integral part of many people’s lives. People pray for a variety of reasons – to give thanks, to ask for guidance, to feel connected to a higher power. But can prayer actually change things in the real world? Can the act of praying lead to tangible effects?

Table of Contents

What is prayer?

Prayer is commonly defined as communication with God or another higher power. Prayers can take many forms, from structured liturgical prayers to spontaneous conversations. At its core, prayer represents an intention to connect with and draw strength from the divine.

For believers of various faiths, prayer fulfills several roles:

Giving thanks and praise to God
Confessing sins and asking for forgiveness

Seeking guidance and wisdom
Asking for blessings or intervention
Expressing pain, grief or anger

Feeling connected to the divine

In many religions, prayer is seen as a duty and disciplined practice. Prayer may involve specific postures or rituals. Other faiths embrace informal, conversational prayer. The common thread is the desire to communicate with and experience the presence of the divine.

What does science say about prayer?

The power of prayer has been debated for centuries. As science has developed more rigorous methods of investigating cause and effect, researchers have been able to study prayer from an empirical perspective.

Controlled studies on the effects of prayer began in the 19th century. In 1872, Francis Galton conducted a famous statistical experiment comparing the longevity of those who prayed versus those who did not. He concluded prayer had no measurable effect.

In more recent decades, researchers have continued investigating causal relationships between prayer and tangible outcomes. Some key findings include:

A 1988 randomized study of coronary care unit patients found no difference in recovery between patients receiving intercessory prayer and those who did not.

A 2005 study found that patients who knew they were receiving intercessory prayer fared worse than patients who did not know whether they were receiving prayer.
A 2006 study of patients undergoing heart surgery found no significant difference in outcomes between groups receiving intercessory prayer and those who did not.
A 2009 Cochrane review found no clear evidence that God answers prayer for healing.

However, some studies have turned up intriguing hints of correlations between prayer and measurable effects:

A 1988 study found family prayer associated with lower mortality in a coronary care unit.
A 1998 study found cardiac surgery patients who were uncertain about receiving intercessory prayer had a higher rate of postoperative complications.

A 2001 study found a positive correlation between prayer frequency and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
A 2010 study found that prayer boosted immune response, reducing symptoms in AIDS patients.

Overall the body of evidence for the tangible, causal effects of prayer is inconclusive at best. More research is needed to definitively prove whether prayer can influence measurable outcomes.

Why is it difficult to prove prayer scientifically?

There are several challenges inherent in scientifically studying the impacts of prayer:

Isolating the effects of prayer – Many other factors like natural healing, medication, and healthy lifestyles can influence outcomes. Isolating prayer as the sole variable affecting outcomes is difficult.
Accounting for prayer quality – The sincerity, focus and technique used in prayer likely impact its effectiveness. Measuring this is near impossible.

Standardizing prayer types – Prayers range from meditation to petitions for miracles. Accounting for such variation is problematic.
Theistic interference – If God intervenes on some prayers but not others, this could skew results.
Psychological factors – The placebo effect, stress reduction and other mental factors linked to prayer may play a role.

Ethical concerns – Withholding prayer from control groups raises moral dilemmas.

The complexity introduced by these factors makes conclusively proving cause and effect extremely challenging. As a result, science has limited tools to directly confirm or reject the tangible power of prayer.

Does prayer impact things beyond the physical?

For believers, the most important work of prayer may have little to do with physically measurable outcomes. Rather, prayer is seen as a spiritual discipline with effects beyond the realm of science.

Here are some key ways prayer may impact things beyond the physical:

Deepening connection to the divine – For the faithful, prayer strengthens awareness of and relationship with God or a higher power.
Cultivating faith – Prayer reinforces core beliefs, encourages gratitude and nurtures a spirit of trust and receptivity.

Facilitating forgiveness – Prayer helps process emotions like grief, anger and resentment as part of forgiveness.
Reducing anxiety – Prayer calms worries and consciously transfers burdens from self to a higher power.
Clarifying values – Prayer guides decision-making and underlines moral priorities.

Building hope – Prayer provides reassurance and optimism for circumstances to improve.

For those who pray, these psychological and spiritual effects have immense value, regardless of tangible impacts. Experientially, prayer changes perception, attitudes and state of mind in meaningful ways.

The power of prayer to transform from within

Given the challenges of proving causation, many view prayer as primarily influencing the inner condition, perspective and experience of those who pray. Rather than changing external realities, it transforms the pray-er from within.

Key internal transformations associated with prayer include:

Cultivating humility and surrender – Prayer postures people as supplicants before God, diminishing ego.
Strengthening empathy and gratitude – Prayer connects people to those less fortunate and grounds thankfulness.

Deepening self-understanding – Prayerful introspection reveals flaws requiring improvement.
Building resilience and courage – Prayer links to a higher power that sustains and emboldens.
Enhancing focus and patience – The discipline of regular prayer builds these traits.

Boosting mindfulness and presence – Prayerful meditations enhance present moment awareness.

For believers, these forms of internal transformation help people grow in virtue and intimacy with the divine. This personal impact remains prayer’s core value, regardless of external effects.

Conclusion

The debate over prayer’s power to tangibly impact physical realities remains scientifically unresolved. Controlled studies have failed to provide definitive evidence confirming prayer’s causal effects. However, the spiritual value of prayer as an transformative inner practice focused on psychological and relational growth is undisputed by those who regularly pray. While more research is needed on measurable outcomes, the personal experience of prayer makes its merits self-evident for millions of faithful practitioners across religious traditions.