Power of Prayer

It has been 9 years since my Mom died, and like many of us, I often replay in my mind things said, things done and things left undone. I remember through most of my life Mom said often, ‘I’m praying for you.’ As a young child and young adult this seemed very odd to me because I was not raised spiritually or religiously. We were known as ‘free thinkers.’ When I questioned what this meant, Mom just said that we didn’t believe in anything particular, but each of us needed to find out what gave our life meaning.

Now, as a child I often searched what that meaning was and in/out of my agnostic periods was, or at least participated in: Primitive Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, German Lutheran, Reformed, Christian Reformed, Native American, Tibetan, Shinto, Druidism, Qabalism, Ifaism/Yoruba – well, you get the picture.

What is common to all these and other paths is the power of prayer.

Looking at the great needs of our world, it is easy to be overwhelmed with feelings of futility or the thought, ‘What is the point? I can’t make much of a difference.’ This discouragement can often keep us from even trying. There are two things we must keep in mind. First, God or the Great Spirit does not expect us to change the whole world. He only wants us to do our part, to grow, to bloom where he has planted us. Second, we must realize that, although we cannot change the whole world, there is much we can realistically accomplish.

Being consistent in our prayer life can help us accomplish more than we may have ever thought possible. And, many short prayers throughout the day are sometimes easier than praying an hour at a time. I recently read that when God created the atom, He bound it together with a powerful force called the nuclear attraction force. This force is 3 x 10E39 times more powerful than the force of gravity. (3 x 10E39 is written as 3 with 39 zeros after it.) WOW. The next time I am discouraged because of a overwhelming problem, I am going to remember the atom. Think about the tremendous power God applied to this small object.  This same power is available to us when we commit a problem to God.

And increasingly, scientists are studying the power of prayer, and in particular its role in healing people who are sick. Most research in the field looks at how people who are sick are affected by their own spiritual beliefs and practices. In general, these studies have suggested that people who are spiritual seem to heal faster or cope with illness more effectively than do the non spiritual.

So, what started all this analysis about the power of prayer in my life? My Mom. I guess I never realized how powerful those words of ‘I’ll pray for you’ were, and what it meant to me to know how loved I was by her to feel her presence of prayer.

However, even though she’s gone from the physical plane, I do know energy is energy, whether chi, thoughts, words or prayer – always in perpetual motion. What is sent out goes out and returns to us waves, never ending. What is important is to keep the energy flowing. Pray for your loved ones; pray for the Earth; pray for the victims of disasters; pray for our leaders. Those of you who saw ‘What the Bleep’, remember how the crystals/atoms of the water changed when good thoughts were sent. The same can happen with people.

Light & Love in Extension to All. If you would like to be added to a prayer list, please contact the Universal Church of the Essenes or the Intentional Prayer Network

Rev. Jackie Olsen