Asking Our Angels

One of the ways we can cultivate hope and optimism is through prayer. Both scientific and pragmatic indicators suggest that prayer invites more hope, healing, and optimism into our lives, and helps us navigate rough spots gracefully and growthfully. In one study, conducted by University of Washington Health Sciences, researchers interviewed more than two hundred heart surgery patients, both before and after their time in the hospital. Their goal was to assess the patients’ prayer practices and their feelings about the surgery and its outcome. Lead investigator Amy L. Ai, PhD, found that the use of prayer significantly raised a patient’s optimism going into surgery. According to her report in Research News & Opportunities in Science and Theology, the power of prayer did not depend upon church attendance or religious preference. Interestingly, researchers did find that the effect of prayer was stronger in older patients, perhaps because they have had more opportunity to respond to and weather life crises.

Excerpted from How to Stay Upbeat in a Beat Down World by Sue Patton Thoele. Available on Amazon.