1000 Prayers or a Single Whisper to God?

I have been pondering a conversation I had with my sister a couple of weeks ago. We got onto the discussion of prayer and what does prayer really mean. Do “prayer chains” somehow make God listen and act quicker on whatever subject is being prayed for? Do 100 prayers somehow “trump” a single prayer from a single person? I have actually heard several people talk about this very topic. I have even heard people mock the idea of “prayer chains” and I would be lying if I said I never laughed at the idea that somehow a collection of 25 prayers outweighed a single plea to God. I absolutely have; what can I say? There was a time when I simplified things WAY too much. However, I view this topic very differently now.

I believe that the most important thing we must do is to love one another. God asks this of us time and time again. And I firmly believe that prayer is one of the biggest ways we can show and feel love.
I am NO EXPERT on God…let me repeat this. I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON GOD!!! I am not a pastor, a deacon, a priest, a nun or even an usher. I am simply a spiritual person who has thought about this a lot and for whatever reason feels compelled to write my thoughts down about it.

When I had major surgery several years ago I had the blessing of having many, and I do mean MANY people praying for me. I know I was on several “prayer chains”. Do I really think that the reason I came through that surgery and am the active, pain-free person I am today is because I had hundreds of prayers instead of just one or two that I prayed myself? ABSOLUTELY!!! Do I think this is because God somehow said, “Well, since Deborah is so loved and she has all these people praying I’m gonna do her this one solid.”? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

I do believe that God is so big and so complex that he can hear a whisper just as clearly as a thousand screams. However, there is also something to be said about the human spirit; how knowing that I had so many people who loved me or my loved ones enough, that they took a few precious moments out of their day to lift MY name in prayer. That LOVE (prayer,) gave me the comfort and strength (and also gave my loved ones comfort and strength) I needed to deal with the physical, emotional and mental struggles that I would face during my recovery.

I know that when I am praying for someone I love or the loved one of someone I care about I feel connected to that person. God is the great connector. It is through him that we love each other and care for each other and the way we exhibit this is to PRAY for each other!

So while, NO I don’t think that God will somehow act quicker based on the volume of prayers being sent his way, I do think he takes great delight in knowing we love each other and HIM enough to pray for our fellow man. And for that I do believe there is great power in prayer! Prayer gives people comfort when they are hurting, strength when they are feeling weak, clarity when they are lost and LOVE when they need it most.