Does prayer work?
Prayer plays a vital role in the Christian faith.
But does prayer actually work? When we pray, does our prayer bring tangible results? To answer, we must first ask: what do we mean when we say “prayer works”? What do we expect prayer to accomplish?
While prayer satisfies multiple needs, in this essay I’ll focus on the primary expectation—that our individual and collective prayers will transform unwanted worldly conditions into spiritual or heavenly conditions.
We expect prayer will change our lives for the better. We expect prayers to move us forward on the path that leads from pain and suffering to joy and contentment.
When Disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he introduced “The Lord’s Prayer,” the “Our Father.“ One portion of the prayer found in Matthew 6:10 reads:
10 “… your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
In this verse, we beseech God to replace the conditions of a fallen world with the conditions of the heavenly kingdom. We ask God to exercise his creative Will on our behalf.
In the prayer, we also ask God to help prevent the Evil One from hijacking our prayerful intentions. (Matthew 6:13)
13 “And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
Our desire to avoid falling into agreement with evil intentions aligns with later verses, Matthew 18: 19,20, that address the power of collaborative prayer.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
These verses come alive in the context of an Idealistic universe, a malleable “Mind of God” universe, the type of universe I previously explored in The Mind of God.
In that issue I explored the marriage of Idealism and Theology which gives us the following key principles:
- Divine Consciousness gives rise to this universe, to all substance, forms, and material conditions.
- Divine Consciousness is the fundamental driver of Creation.
- Divine Consciousness possesses stand-alone existence; in other words, the existence of Divine Consciousness is not contingent upon material conditions.
- In contrast, the material or physical universe is contingent upon Divine Consciousness for its existence.
- Divine Consciousness gives rise to time and space.
- The physical universe consists of thought forms; in other words, the created universe consists of “Mind Stuff.”
- Individual souls, possessing spiritual consciousness, exist in and operate in an Idealistic universe, in the Mind of God.
These principles of Idealism (wedded to theology) are vital for understanding prayer that changes conditions. Furthermore, they help us see that prayer can be defined as follows: Prayer is the act of bringing spiritual consciousness into communion with Divine Consciousness.
In essence, prayer is Spiritual Communication that takes place in communion between Immortal Souls and God.
Prayer can also be understood as an act of Divine Collaboration in an ongoing (Idealistic) spiritual creation. In prayer, we attempt, with varying degrees of success, to merge spiritual consciousness with divine consciousness and, in doing so, bring about better conditions: a new earth and a new heaven.
When souls seek to achieve communion with Divine Consciousness, the Holy Spirit infuses Divine Consciousness into those souls’ spiritual consciousness.
It is worth noting that in prayer we may be inspired by images or signs that point to the Divine. While images may guide our intentions, the highest form of prayer takes place in pure consciousness, without substance, form, or images. This state is often the goal of advanced mystics.
Prayer Power (prayer’s efficacy) arises from a combination of factors. For example, prayer is more powerful when spiritual consciousness and divine consciousness are highly aligned. If a soul’s prayer intentions mirror the Will of God they’re more likely to manifest.
In a similar manner, when multiple souls align their intentions, when they “come together in His name,” the object of their intentions will more likely become an aspect of “reality.” This phenomenon was referenced in Matthew 18:19,20.
Achieving unity with Divine Will requires dedication. The greater a soul’s spiritual awareness or spiritual formation, the higher the probability that unity will be achieved.
The intensity of the Holy Spirit’s presence also affects unity. We can expect, for example, that cloistered monks and nuns will engage in a type of prayer that has more power than more casual prayer.
Factors that produce powerful prayer, hinted at above, are addressed in spiritual direction, a process of in-depth formation of the soul under the guidance of a spiritual director who “disciples” others.
In the news today, we witness great irony. Those who engage in silent prayer are being arrested for praying. If prayer has no efficacy, it would seem there would be no need for such arrests. If it is not possible for believers to summon Divine Will, there’s no need to arrest them for praying. Perhaps atheists fear the power of prayer more than we might have guessed.