The Power of Prayer

This past weekend my son had quite a health scare. We are coming out the other side now with God’s grace and healing, and the support and prayer of many. This has really got me to thinking about the Power of Prayer.

I have been searching the internet for studies on the Power of Prayer. It seems there are many sighted in the Washington Post and New York Times that both prove the power of prayer and have equal numbers of skeptics. These studies vary in detail from people being prayed for, and knowing about it, by someone in the same place, to distance prayer where the prayee has no idea and the prayer is half a world away. It seems in most all the studies there was a positive difference in the group that was prayed for, whether local or distant, compared to the group without prayer.

The skeptics say there are far too many variables left out and therefore the studies are invalid. They also say we are wasting government money on accompaniments to medicine through religious practice rather than looking directly for more medical advances. Christian leaders, in response to these alligations of failed studies, say that trying to limit something as awesome and powerful as God with science is pointless seeing that God is not bound by the laws of science.

I am personally saying that prayer works. I have not only had tangible proof of this in my life, but in the life of my son this weekend. My son had a basic flu virus for seven days. He recovered on day eight and went back to his usual routine. On day twelve, he found a huge hematoma on his hip. Within 24 hours he was covered in bruises and we took him to the Children’s hospital. The doctors found his blood platelet count, normally 150 to 400, to be a very low 1 with elevated white blood cell count. He was diagnosed with ITP and they quickly took a CT scan of his brain (he had severe headaches that night) and a bone marrow test that both came back normal. Then came the IV treatment to get his antibodies under control and help raise is platelet count. Within 30 hours his count was up to 25 and we were released. Another two days later he was up and around and eating well.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Itp/ITP_WhatIs.html

During all of that hospital time, we were Blessed by having our church congregation praying for us. We have no idea of the exact number of people but it was over 100 and they were praying specifically for our son’s platelet count to rise. If you had seen the state of my son’s body when we arrived and then to be on the mend and released just 38 hours later, sooner than expected, you may also believe in the Power of Prayer. You might also say that result could have happened without prayer and I would agree. However, if I were given the choice of leaving things up to chance or having the big guy’s hand on this, I choose door number 2.

Today we had my son’s blood platelet levels tested and they came back with a whoping 230!! That is the power of prayer and miracles right there. Yes, for those of you medical folks, this can be a false high due to the medication he received so we will be getting tested again in three weeks after it wears off. I have no doubt that the levels will remain above 150, the minimum number.

Prayer works. I believe that and it works for me. All the studies did show some correlation with prayer and health regardless of what controls were used. So, if you were given the choice in a place of need of prayer or not, what would you choose? Seems interesting to me that in most cases of dire circumstance, even the most firm unbeliever will raise his eyes to the heavens and begin to pray. Is it a learned response, or are we simply looking up and returning to the one who created us in the first place? You decide for yourself but my mind is already made up.

Aly Pain, CPCC, ACC
InnerPiece Team & Relationship Coaching Specialist
Public Speaker and Emcee Extraordinaire
ph. 403-246-2399 fx. 403-263-8790 www.alypain.com aly@alypain.com
"Success is not external shining in; it's internal radiating out"