God\'s Great Need the Power

God's Great Need

The power of prayer is something that is assumed by a vast majority of people. Religious people believe that prayer is the way for people to communicate their desires to God and to ask for His assistance in their lives. Even people who claim not to be religious engage in prayer when they feel desperate and in need of help. Prayer has been proven helpful; scientific studies have revealed that ill people who are the targets of organized prayer has significantly better health prospects than people who are not targeted for such prayer. Lay people also tout the importance of prayers; most churches have prayer circles for people experiencing medical or personal problems. Therefore, it seems clear that prayer can result in positive change in a person's life.

The power of prayer does bring up an interesting question: if someone fails to pray for something he wants or needs, is his failure to attain them due to the lack of prayer? The simplistic answer to that question is "no." Though God as described in the Old Testament may have punished his followers for failing to observe worship rituals, the New Testament represented a new covenant with God's followers, freeing them of the obligations of ritualistic worship. It would be reasonable to conclude that requiring prayer to gain God's favor would be just such a requirement.

However, the simplistic answer is not always the correct answer, and it does not appear to be the correct answer in this scenario. For most people, even those of limited faith, prayer is powerful because of its deep symbolism. People pray for the things that they want and need the most. The devout pray for routine things in their life, incorporating prayer into their daily routines for even minor wants and needs. Prayer for them may be little more than an affirmation of a desire. However, prayer is not simply a reflection of a request made of God; it also demonstrates the depth of someone's desire to attain a goal. Atheists fall to their needs and beg God when confronted with a dying child or other major catastrophe. Those prayers do not necessarily reflect a newfound belief in God, but the level of desperation and desire that the person is experiencing. Therefore, prayer reflects more than a request; it also reflects the depth of a person's desire to attain a need.