Whenever I watch a television commercial or read about a new product making amazing claims about how a new medicine or kitchen gadget will change my life, I find myself asking “Does it work?” I read reviews, reach out to friends who have tried it, or just buy it to see if the hype is real. Usually, I find that the answer to the “does it work?” question is “sort of.” Arthritis miracle cures sort of relieve pain. Weight loss miracles sort of shrink my waistline. Kitchen tools kind of perform as advertised. The simplest solution to the question of whether or not a product or practice works is trying it out and seeing if it makes pain go away, washes whites whiter, or whatever it is meant to do. However, this is an approach that doesn’t work for more complex problems.
In a collection of essays entitled How to Pray, CS Lewis wrote an interesting essay on whether or not it was possible to prove that prayer works through scientific measurement. We’ve all heard the claim “prayer works” from those who have had miraculous experiences with prayer. Lewis points out several examples of such happenings from his own life, including what I believe was a veiled reference to his experience with praying for his dying wife. He goes on to point out that despite experiences with God answering prayers miraculously, the problem with measuring prayer’s effectiveness is that we cannot know the heart of the person who is praying or the motive. There is no way to know if prayer is properly offered. We cannot measure the praying person’s heart and soul, which makes measuring the effectiveness of prayer impossible.
Thinking about his answer, I found myself wondering about the question of “Does prayer work?” I agree that measuring its effectiveness is impossible. However, I would argue that for a person who prays “rightly” and has a right relationship with God, prayer will always work. The problem is that it works the way it is supposed to, not the way we want it to. You see, prayer is not like throwing change into a vending machine and pressing a button, which would mean that “working” or “not working” is measured by if it dispenses your wish or it doesn’t. You see, prayer is about more than just asking for stuff; it is about our relationship with God. That is why the Lord’s Prayer opens with the phrase “Our Father.” The opening line is supposed to remind us to talk to God as our father. We are to talk to him about our relationship with him. He is our father. If I approached my relationships with others by measuring whether or not my conversations get me what I want, most people would call that dysfunctional. In reality, though asking God to meet our needs or help us is an important part of prayer, it is not all of it. Prayer is about deepening our relationship with God. In that sense, it works every time when we approach it that way.
Beyond that, the question of whether or not God answers prayer is simple. He does, but at times his answer is “no” or “not yet” or even “you’re asking for the wrong thing.” Jesus explained that because God is a good father, he gives us good gifts. It’s easy to assume that that means he gives us whatever we want right now or whatever will give us what will make our lives easiest. The obvious answer to this is, “Do good parents give their kids whatever they want immediately, no matter what?” Or maybe, “Do good parents do everything to ensure their kids never have to work or try hard in life?” The answer for most people is “no.” This is a recipe for producing a spoiled brat or ensuring that your children never develop character. In reality, God answers prayers according to what will help us grow, mature, and develop spiritually. The way to learn to pray effectively is to learn to pray in harmony with God’s will and thoughts. We also must learn to wait for his timing and trust him. These are hard tasks. The truth is you learn them by praying, reading his word, and participating in a community of believers. These are things that help you develop spiritual maturity. Ultimately, my answer to the question of whether or not prayer works, is that it absolutely does. It works the way it is supposed to and God answers prayers. He takes care of us and our souls. The problem is that sometimes we want prayer to do things it isn’t supposed to do.
