How Prayer Works

FenelonSpoke, no suggestions, but prayers for relief for you. And peace for your son in this regard.

Y'know...

I was raised to think of prayer as something one did for better subjective communion with God and adjustment to God's will, rather than to effect any big changes in the "outside world."

Always seems like people get the answer to prayer and thank God, or don't get the answer they'd hoped for, and, if they're wise, still thank God.* Not a good indicator of whether prayer really had any outside-world effect. Folks will believe what they want.

The Bible Belt community around me of course believed in the power of prayer to induce God to do miracles. Oral Roberts made the lame walk every week on teevee. I never discounted power-miracles, but ... they were always something that "happened to someone else."

Still, I don't think I know anything, much less how the Spirit works in the world, so, I join in prayers-at-a-distance and all that ... can't hurt, right? I rarely ask for them, though, because of aforementioned upbringing. And the long, long list of what I'd ask prayers for....!

* Some idle musing on praying & thankfulness I did a while back: Be Sure to Say Thank You
http://bit.ly/b-sure-2-say-thanks