Do you believe in prayer? Submit prayer request below.
Prayer and Science
Prayer, first and foremost, is believing there is a spiritual component to life. It is believing that there is more to life than the physical world. More and more scientists are approaching this vein of thought as reality. Examining the influence of this belief on quality of life is increasing, and the results are meaningful.
The interaction of prayer, meditation, and health has been an intriguing question for research study for some time. Interest in studying the effects of prayer on health continues to grow. Acceptance has grown within academia, medicine, psychiatry, public health etc. along with significant scientific data on the impact of prayer.
Prayer and Health
What is evident in the research on health and prayer is that positive physical changes take place in the body when someone prays i.e. petitionary prayers. Meditative prayer has been shown to more evenly regulate blood pressure, reduce heart rate, alter levels of melatonin and serotonin, to boost the immune response, to reduce stress and promote positive mood states, to reduce anxiety and pain and enhance self-esteem. Meditation associated with spirituality is also shown to be more beneficial than non-spiritual meditation.
Similarly, research has shown improved health outcomes in people who were prayed for i.e. intercessory prayer. Although the results are mixed, improved outcomes associated with intercessory prayer are cited in a growing number of studies. In these studies, the health of specific individuals are prayed for by others in prayer groups from a distance. These study designs are double-blind and triple-blind, which is currently the gold standard for research investigations.
Belief in Prayer
The results of these studies are promising and too important to dismiss. Moreover, the results of these studies at the very least, merits consideration that there is a scientific basis for prayer and the role of belief in prayer as a determinant of health.
No one definitively knows how prayer works or why it has positive effects on the mind and body. It is still a mystery that when we pray for ourselves and others, dynamic changes may occur.
Do you believe in prayer? If you do, and if you would like us to pray with you, we would be happy to! Please submit a prayer request below.
“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. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:19-20