DOES PRAYER MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Over the last several years, I have noticed a trend in social media among non-Christians.  When a tragedy occurs, they are quick to ridicule the common sentiment expressed after such an act, “You are in our thoughts and prayers.”  Why bother, they say.  We don’t need thoughts and prayers, they say.  We need action.  We need something tangible.  We need you to do more than just send good thoughts, because none of your thoughts and prayers makes one iota of a difference in the world today.  Your prayers to a non-existent or, at best, non-interested God didn’t change anything.  The tragedy still occurred.  The loss still took place.  Hurt was felt, and evil was expressed unchecked.  So, why pray?

“Evidence collected over many years, obtained from many locations, indicates that the power of Prayer is insufficient to stop bullets from killing school children.” -- Neil deGrasse Tyson

The tweet above from Neil deGrasse Tyson in the wake of the Parkland school shooting is just another example of these derisions of prayer, although Tyson’s comment was wrapped in the guise of science.  I respect Tyson as a scientist.  I don’t agree with his world view, but I do think Tyson has really advanced the case for scientific literacy in our world today.  I think he is influencing many young men and women to consider careers in science, which can only result in good things for the future.

However, I feel that Tyson does a disservice to both religion and God with this assertion.  The essence of his point is that the Parkland school shooting is evidence that prayer does not work.  This is not good science. 

Scientists are painfully aware that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.  What this means is that you can’t point to an example and say, “We didn’t find X, so that means that it is not there.”  At best, you can point to your study and say, “We didn’t find X, so there is an YY% chance that X does not exist or is not present.”  And that’s with statistically rigorous studies.

“The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”

Let me give you an example.  During my master’s research for my wildlife biology degree, I attempted to find evidence for the presence or absence of a fox parasite in Georgia and South Carolina.  I spent two years trapping rodents and examining fox feces looking for this parasite.  I did not find any, despite all my best efforts.  So, that proves that the parasite is not present, right?  No. 

It simply means I did not find the parasite in my sampling efforts.  The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.  All I could say is that based on the number of samples I examined and the negative results I found, there was an extremely high chance that this parasite was not present in my study areas.  Using the scientific method could only lead me to say that I did not find the parasite in my study, not that it wasn’t there and might not have shown up in my next sample.  Perhaps my study was set up wrong.  Perhaps I was trapping for the wrong type of rodents.  Perhaps the rodents that carry this parasite weren’t in the areas I sampled.  Perhaps the parasite has a life-stage that made it impossible to find during the time period I sampled.  There are too many factors to say definitively, “This parasite does not exist in Georgia or South Carolina.” That is the way science works.

Think about the many health-related studies you see in the news.  How many times have you seen studies saying things like, “Saturated fat causes heart disease.”  And then the next day, another study comes out saying, “Saturated fat is not linked to heart disease.”  Two studies, different results, who’s right?  We don’t know.  The only thing each set of scientists can say is “based on our study and the samples we examined, this is what we found.”  No one can say with 100% certainty that their study is correct and that saturated fat causes or doesn’t cause heart disease. 

So, what does this mean for us in the area of religion and faith, specifically, in the area of prayer?  As I noted above, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. 

Does the fact that a school shooting occurred at the Parkland High School in Florida definitively prove that prayer does not work, as Neil deGrasse Tyson asserts?  No, it doesn’t.  Tyson cannot make that statement.  He is wrong.  And, I am willing to bet, he knows it.  He was just trying to make a point in social media that fits his personal world view about religion and prayer.

On the other hand, does the fact that only 1 out of 2,344 high schools in Florida had a school shooting on that day prove that prayer works?  Following Tyson’s example, I could assert that the fervent prayers of the saints prevented catastrophes and school shootings at 2,343 schools in Florida on that day.  I could also assert that the impact of the shooting at Parkland was lessened by God’s hand moving in response to prayer. 

Does that mean I have evidence that prayer works because none of these other 2,344 high schools experienced violence on that day?  No, although the evidence of effectual prayer would be stronger from a scientific point of view than the assertion that Tyson makes based on one tragic result.  But, I can’t prove it scientifically.  I can only take it on faith.

My whole point is that science cannot prove or disprove the efficacy of prayer or the existence of God through the scientific method.  That is outside the realm of science, and Neil deGrasse Tyson does a disservice to both science and religion by discounting the efficacy of prayer in such a flippant manner just to make a personal point in a public forum.

So, if science cannot prove or disprove the effects of prayer, does that mean that our “thoughts and prayers” are of no value?  No.  It doesn’t.  It comes down to a matter of faith.

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘When you pray...’”

(Luke 11:2)

Without a doubt, God answers prayers.  He answers them in ways that may not be readily observable or testable through human perception or scientific testing.  But, God answers prayer.  Not only is this evident in the biblical record, it is evident and experienced in the lives of believers daily.

I have seen prayers answered in miraculous ways.  And, I have seen them answered in ways that some would say were coincidence or happen-stance.  I have prayed for the healing of parishioners in the hospital, not truly believing God would heal them in a physical way and that they would ever leave that hospital bed, and then been surprised when they walked through the door of the church on the next Sunday, praising God for their healing.  And, I have seen God choose to heal people by taking them home to be with Him rather than healing them physically as we had prayed.

I have seen God answer prayers by providing food and resources to people who had lost all hope, leading disparate groups of people to come together and meet their needs, all without coordination or planning or discussion.  I have seen God magnify resources to minister to the homeless and to local communities in ways that cannot be explained.  I have seen God put people together in order to have someone hear the gospel and be led to the atoning cross of Christ.

Prayer works (better to say, “Prayer causes God to intervene”).  Prayer works, but it is a mystery.  Prayer invokes the heart and presence of God and demonstrates our faith and trust in His grace and benevolence.  By offering our thoughts and prayers in the midst of a tragedy, we are affirming that we believe God knows what the best answer is and that we trust Him to work for the best in all situations (Romans 8:28). 

But, we understand that the way God chooses to answer prayer is not going to always be evident or provable by human senses.  It is a matter of faith.  It is a matter of knowing and believing and acting on the promises of Scripture that God hears our prayers,

He knows our heart, and He moves in response to our cries to Him.  His answer may not be what we want.  His answer may be long in coming.  His answer may come in ways that are miraculous, or in ways that can be explained away as coincidence.  The point is God answers our prayers.  Science cannot say otherwise.  Neil deGrasse Tyson cannot say otherwise. The absence of evidence does not prove that prayer works or doesn’t work.  The proof of prayer is in the hearts of believers. 

“Pray without ceasing”

(1 Thessalonians 5:17)

So, please, continue to send your thoughts and prayers in the face of tragedy.  Continue to pray for God’s hand to move -- for Him to intercede -- for Him to work in our lives and in the midst of what we are going through.  Trust that God hears you and will answer you, whether you see evidence of it or not.  Because it is true.  Scripture and experience affirm what science cannot prove.  Prayer works, and we know this through faith.