Prayer’s Affects
March 30, 2006 by Luci Wilder
Filed under Life in General, My Lord
Today on CNN.com I saw a story titled: “Study: Prayer doesn’t affect heart patients”… basically, the title says it all… Some “scientists” decided to run a test on 1,800 patients to see whether or not prayer had any affect on the patient’s recovery from heart bypass surgery.
The first thing I want to point out about this is that it was a “test” of God… Guess what God says about that?
“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Deuteronomy 6:16.
I’d say these folks probably didn’t start out on the right foot. This is really almost laughable if it wasn’t so truly sad. They set out to test God. God!
Secondly, this so-called “study” had three groups:
1. Those who knew they were being prayed for,
2. Those who were prayed for but only knew it was a possiblity, and
3. Those who weren’t prayed for but were told it was a possibility.
What about a fourth group: Those who weren’t prayed for and knew it would be an impossibility? Why weren’t they included? Maybe the scientist were afraid it would shew the results?
So… Who do you think won? …. According to the article… there was “no affect”…. The implication is that the only answer God could possible give for prayers to work is in the affirmative… do you realize that would mean that God… The All-Powerful God Almighty, non-created, always IS God… would have to do what wee little people (you know… people who die and turn back into dust) tell Him to do in order for Him to be considered as having answered… that is RIDICULOUS!!! Guess what… He can choose NOT to answer or He can choose to say NO!
People… this is HIS plan going on here… not ours… He does NOT have to obey US… He IS the creator we are the created… do you get that? I certainly do!
Perhaps what we don’t know is that it was actually “the appointed time” (to die) for all 1,800 of these patients and because of all the prayer God allowed them to live… and “they” say there was no affect; go figure.
Bottom line… many people have long ago lost their respect and awe of God and walk carelessly where angels fear to tread. But be not deceived; God is not mocked! (Galations 6:7).
God does answer prayer… He answers mine every single day… sometimes the answer is “Wait, Child.”… sometimes it’s, “No, Dear that will harm you.”…. and sometimes the answer is… “Yes, because I love you!”… No matter the answer, my Glorious Lord gives me in response to my prayers… I’ll continue to ask… because… He’s my Father… He loves me… I see only a little… He sees it all…
O God, thou art my God; earnestly will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is. So have I looked upon thee in the sanctuary, To see thy power and thy glory. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise thee. So will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; When I remember thee upon my bed, And meditate on thee in the night-watches. For thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:1-8
© 2006 – 2009, Luci Wilder. All rights reserved.
Once again you continue to amaze me. It really is a shame that so many spend so much time trying to disprove the truth and so little trying to learn more about it and how to Live in it. Guess there are many who can be very Thankful that He is a forgiving Lord. But for how long will he continue to tolerate all of the injustice toward Him? That is what everybody should be looking toward. I daily Pray that He doesn’t wait to long to come back to set us all straight and take us HOME!!
Well said! The presumption that the best for a person with heart-disease is healing from their illness is naïve, and therefore undermines the study. People were obviously praying for the patients’ best. The best for those people, and for any person, is to glorify God by cherishing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of all. Sometimes, it takes a trial like a bad heart for someone to break before him. In that case, the bad heart is that person’s best, and should be regarded as a blessing, and maybe even an answer to prayer.