As a physician, I have seen men, after all other therapy has failed, lifted out of disease and melancholy by the serene effort of prayer. It is the only power in the world that seems to overcome the so-called “laws of nature;” the occasions on which prayer has dramatically done this have been termed “miracles.” But a constant, quieter miracle takes place hourly in the hearts of men and women who have discovered that prayer supplies them with a steady flow of sustaining power in their daily lives. Alexis Carrel (1873-1944), “Prayer is Power,” [1941]
Many physicians have recognized this, I believe, but it is only now coming to the forefront of medical schools (in the US.)
When I think of prayer, I think of the constant interchange of ideas and thoughts that go with a dialogue or on-going conversation with God. It doesn’t have to be with a particular posture or in specific words that we have memorized, but those have their place. Sometimes it is wordless or even simply a deep desire or need.
The answers I receive come in many ways — sometimes a clear sense of what to do; occasionally as if I had heard a word or thought of a Bible verse; sometimes in the words or actions of another person, such as yesterday when I heard from a friend who always seems to call when I most need it; sometimes when I know to do or not do something (which is a little different than my first above); once very pointedly when listening to a speaker and on other levels with other speakers at other times; and sometimes in the thought that I need to be more aware of how I recognize if I have heard — even to listening more.
How do you think of prayer — and how have you received answers?
Karin
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