The Science of Prayer?

Last week I came across a disappointing article on the subject of prayer and healing in the New York Times entitled, "Long Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer." As will come as no surprise, the study concluded that prayer does not heal. But what can we expect from generic prayers to a generic god?

Al Mohler gives some helpful guidelines for "what to make of 'scientific' studies on prayer." He states, "First, I do not believe that Christians should look for any validation of prayer (or any other Christian doctrine or discipline, for that matter) from the world of science or empirical research. Second, I do not believe that Christians should accept a generic definition or conception of prayer in the first place. Those earlier studies made reference to prayer without stipulating to whom the prayer is addressed. Third, Christians do not believe that prayer heals, but that God heals. Prayer is often involved in the healing that God grants, but it is not the prayer that heals."