PRAYER IS GOOD MEDICINE by LARRY DOSSEY, M.D.

(S.F.: Harper, 1996)

Dossey is the Former chief of staff at Humana Medical City in Dallas and former co-chair of the Panel on Mind/Body Interventions for the National Institutes of Health. This book is a short one focused on prayer. It does not include the research documentation contained in Dossey's earlier book, Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. All the following quotes are from Prayer is Good Medicine.

As you explore prayer and the power of God, it is very important that you keep in mind how wondrously incomprehensible yet very immediate and intimate are the varied dimensions of spirituality. "As the great thirteenth-century German mystic Meister Eckhart observed, 'Whoever perceives something in God and attaches thereby some name to him, that is not God. God is…ineffable.' And, 'It is God's nature to be without a nature'" (p. xiv).

Although Dossey strongly endorses the healing and preventative powers of prayer, he also continues to value modern medical practices. "I believe that prayer and standard medical approaches can be used together" (p. xv).

Modern medicine told us to deny the power of the witchdoctor. However, we have now begun to realize that modern medicine and science does not have all the answers and that the witchdoctors were not always wrong. "Max Planck, whose discoveries set the stage for the quantum-relativistic revolution in physics, saw that science and religion were naturally intertwined. He said, 'There can never be any real opposition between religion and science; for one is the complement of the other. Every serious and reflective person realizes, I think, that the religious element in nature must be recognized and cultivated if all the powers of the human soul are to act together in perfect balance and harmony. And indeed it was not by any accident that the greatest thinkers of all ages were also deeply religious souls, even though they made no public show of their religious feeling…Every advance in knowledge brings us face to face with the mystery of our own being'" (pp. 22-23). What is important for you to do is have an open mind without letting your brains fall out. As Dossey reminds us: "Some things are beyond science. Everything that counts cannot be counted" (p. 24). "Prayer and the Almighty cannot be harmed by science. Only our prejudices are in danger" (p. 25).

What is one of the most important aspects of the research done on prayer is that it establishes that prayers can be effective for everyone. "Science shows…that prayer does not belong exclusively to any particular religion but to a unity of all religions, classes, and creeds. Science universalizes and democratizes prayer. It is a statement for religious tolerance. I personally believe this is one of the greatest gifts of prayer research" (pp. 44-45).

The most important thing that we need to do to help make our prayers effective is to have the right kind of attitude built into our prayers. "When we realize that every moment is in some sense already perfect, our gaze may cease to wander ahead, as it often does when we pray for some better future. We may learn to dwell with gratitude in the moment…Prayer is not about getting. It is about being mindful of the moment and perceiving the magic in the mundane" (p. 98). Think about the following prayer and the lessons that it provides:

Prayer of the Unknown Confederate Soldier

I asked God for strength that I might achieve;                                                                      I was made weak that I might learn to obey.

I asked for health that I might do great things;                                                                      I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;                                                                               I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;                                                         I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;                                                                           I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I had asked for,                                                                                    But everything that I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;                                               I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

"Experiments in prayer suggest that love is one of the most important factors influencing its effectiveness" (p. 105).

"Philosopher and author James W. Jones relates a tale of ancient India that expresses beautifully the wisdom we each contain. According to legend, the gods were arguing over where to hide the secret of life so men and women would not find it. 'Bury it under a mountain,' one god suggested; 'they'll never find it there.' 'No,' the others countered, 'one day they will find a way to dig up the mountain and uncover the secret of life.' 'Put it in the depths of the deepest ocean,' another god suggested; 'it will be safe there.' 'No,' said the others, 'someday humankind will find a way to travel to the depths of the ocean and will find it.' 'Put it inside them,' another god said; 'men and women will never think of looking for it there.' All the gods agreed, and so it is said the gods hid the secret of life within us" (p. 139).

"How should you pray? Don't worry too much about it. Set aside your ideas of right and wrong. Experiment with different methods, and be gentle and forgiving of yourself as you do so. When your prayer ritual feels awkward and clumsy, smile, pat yourself on the back, and pray anyway" (p. 139).

"Our preference for the dazzling 'rich moments' is one reason we leave off doing the work that needs to be done in our troubled world. We seem to be increasingly addicted to the spectacular manifestations of spiritual life---the high-octane visions, paranormal experiences, stunning revelations, miracles, and so on. Waiting for them to happen, we become insensitive to the central fact of life: It is all a miracle, down to the most ordinary details" (p. 191).

We often feel that we are too busy, that life is too demanding, that we don't have the energy or time for prayer, that we are too sad, too depressed, too…..whatever…..to pray. It is at those moments that prayer is very indispensable. However, if we want to avoid or minimize the power of the negatives, then we need to make prayer a part of our daily routine. As Mahatma Gandhi said: "In spite of despair staring me in the face on the political horizon, I have never lost my peace…That peace comes from prayer…"

"In addition to tolerance, simplicity is also a hallmark of authentic spiritual practice. The Dalai Lama has said, 'My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness' "(p. 198).

Pray for yourself.

Pray for your loved ones.

Pray for those you serve.

Ask others to pray for you.

Join a prayer group!