For people facing surgery or fighting disease, the prayers of others can be a comfort. But a large U.S. study has found that praying for the health of a heart bypass patient has no impact on their surgical outcome, VOA News reported.

It seems that a Harvard Medical School researcher, along with colleagues at Duke and elsewhere, carried out a study on 1,800 patients about to undergo heart bypass surgery, in which clogged arteries are replaced by clean ones removed from the leg.

Researchers say that the prayers had no effect on the recovery of the first two groups of heart patients. Those who were actually prayed for had more surgical complications as a whole than other groups.

According to the news story, six hundred of the patients received the prayers of others before surgery after being told they might or might not get them. Another 600 were told the same thing, but were not prayed for. The third group of 600 received pre-surgical prayer and knew it.

The result, according to the researchers? They say that the prayers had no effect on the recovery of the first two groups of heart patients. Worse, they found that those who knew others were praying for them, and who were actually prayed for, had more surgical complications as a whole than the other groups, VOA said.

Of course, this kind of study is complete rubbish in the view of Evangelicals, and it is a concern that the American Heart Journal would publish what appears to be pseudo-scientific and pseudo-religious nonsense.

The reason it is nonsense in our view is because the researchers apparently know little about prayer. Prayer is more than strangers mouthing empty words for science. If they wanted accurate results, the researchers needed to verify that those doing the praying had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as described in John 3:5-7. As every Sunday school child knows, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).

For those of us rooted in faith, the issue of efficacious prayer was settled long ago on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:15-39).

Nevertheless, the research was not wasted. It proved what we Evangelicals have said all along--prayer is not a pragmatic religious artifice; it is the communication that goes on between God and the children who have been born into His family. Jesus has taught us that the purest form of communication with God is that phrase "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36 and elsewhere) which denotes God's children calling Him "Daddy."  God has always heard and answered the prayers of His children. Unbelievers, scoffers, apostates and others who are blind to God's power can expect their prayers to ricochet off the ceiling.

News reports did not say who did the praying, but it is a critical factor in the outcome. That's why we believe studies like this are politically correct, pop culture cop-outs. For those of us rooted in faith, the issue of efficacious prayer was settled long ago on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:15-39).

It is likely that unbelievers will use this research as a weapon to prohibit prayer in hospitals, just as it has already been prohibited in schools.

Non-believers will love this research report, though it seems to convey no significant finding due to the variables involved. It is likely that unbelievers will use this research as a weapon to prohibit prayer in hospitals, just as it has already been prohibited in schools. 

Doctors often like to play God, but the faith community will continue to pray, and to pray especially for the sick, because the Bible instructs us to do so. In  James 5:14-15 says, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up."  Therefore, from the Evangelical perspective, the old adage continues to be true despite the new research: "God always does the healing, the doctor just takes the fee."

 - DLH