Do you believe in the power of prayer, do you pray?

wensday, MSN, RN, APN, NP · Dec 19, 2004

I always say a couple of words over my patient at the beginning of a shift. I also say 'Take care of this little one' if the baby dies. Once i was one to one with a HDU 4yr old coma, fitting, every drug in the book given, no response to pain type of patient. The parents had been warned etc. i took her and said 'use me' and stroked her hair. She sat up and asked for a drink of orange juice. True story I promise. Happened last year.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2004

I always say a prayer before stroking a long putt for birdies or eagle

RedBait · Dec 19, 2004

I always say a prayer before stroking a long putt for birdies or eagle

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

student_girl · Dec 28, 2004

I don't pray, I'm a atheist. I just don't agree with the way religion has become "corporate".

mitchsmom · Dec 28, 2004

I don't pray either, I'm not religious, never have been. I guess my philosophy is sort of like the "secular humanist" beliefs even though I'm not at all part of any humanist or any other group- it just comes the closest. Here's one explanation:

"Secular Humanism is a way of thinking and living that aims to bring out the best in people so that all people can have the best in life. Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs. Secular Humanism is an ethical philosophy that emphasizes a world view based upon naturalism: the belief that the physical world or nature is all that exists or is real. They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individual freedom and responsibility, human values and compassion, and the need for tolerance and cooperation."

Some more: "They believe that "moral values derive their source from human experience." Since most believe that an afterlife is non-existent, they regard life here on earth to be particularly precious. They are highly motivated to alleviating pain and misery around the world. Many are active in refugee, human rights, anti-death penalty, environmental groups, etc. Generally speaking, they do not believe in a personal God, a Goddess or a combination of Goddesses and Gods, supernatural beings such as angels, demons, Satan, Holy Spirit, etc., heaven or hell or life after death;the separation of a person into body, soul and spirit; survival of an individual in any form after death.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/humanism.htm

ERnurse07 · Dec 29, 2004

prayer has worked for me and sometimes has not - i always pray when things are getting out of hand - it makes me feel better and helps me keep my focus.:)

this is gonna have a poll also........
i want to know how many poeple out there, believe in the power of prayer, and how many believe it works? any stories? any proof? thoughts etc?
me

raramasi · Dec 29, 2004

Yes Prayer has worked for me and my family and I totally believe in it I started a day with prayer and end it also with prayer.It gives me a sense of direction .If I don't pray in a day I feel empty.:)

webblarsk · Dec 29, 2004

Prayer has worked for me. I totally have Faith!

LauraLou · Jan 3, 2005

Yes, I believe in prayer. God has guided and comforted me many times. I get a feeling of peace and absolute certainty and I know that He has spoken to me.

I don't believe in asking God for specific things. I don't believe God is like a drive thru window where you can place your order and expect to receive it. For example, I don't believe that God will spare one child because he has a church praying for him and allow another child to die because he has no one praying for him. That would be cruel and unfair and I believe in a loving God.

I believe we should pray to know God's will for us and to ask Him for support and comfort during difficult times. God loves each of us and if we open our hearts to Him, He will give us the strength to endure whatever befalls us.

Terrible things happen in this world, as do wonderful, miraculous things. The one certainty is God's love for us.

jackiemc08 · Jan 5, 2005

I just mentioned my husband's accident in another thread, but here goes:

My husband had a bicycle accident on 8/11/04. We had our 17th wedding anniversary on 8/8/04. He was a CPA and had purchased a practice and downtown building with his partner 4 years prior. He was the president of the Kilgore Youth Softball Association, on the associate board of the local hospital, treasurer for the Crisis Center in Kilgore (they help battered women and abused children), did bookkeeping free of charge for Habitat for Humanity, and did free tax returns for several local pastors and priests. I left for work early that morning because we had a staff meeting. Tommy had gone for his usual 25-mile morning ride. He had not returned when I left, but since he was getting ready for a race, I thought he had just ridden a little longer. Our youngest daugher was waiting for him to come home to take her to twirling practice.

When I arrived at work, one of my staff members was running to the parking lot. I rolled down my window, and said, "where are you going?" She told me that my husband had been in a serious accident and that the police were looking for me. I went in and called the police in our hometown (30 miles away). I was told that Tommy had been in an accident and had suffered a severe head injury. They were airflighting him to the ER of the hospital where I work. I got a ride to the hospital and the helicopter was landing at the same time we walked through the ER doors. There was a chaplain there to greet me. The best trauma surgeon and the best neurosurgeon happened to be on duty that day. The doctors didn't think he'd make it. He had a basilar skull fracture on the right that extended through his ear canal to the parietal area. He had bilateral temporal lobe damage and a right subdural hematoma. We prayed constantly.

That day, the neurosurgeon evacuated the hematoma and his ICP went down. He told me that there wasn't much he could do. It was just diffuse swelling. Nothing really to operate on. He said that he could do some heroic measures, but it would leave him unable to communicate or understand communication and that wouldn't be a life anyone would want.

The next day, the ICP was critically high again. We were still praying. Tommy had been added to prayer chains all over East Texas, the US, and even some worldwide. The neurosurgeon did the bilateral craniectomy and the pressure was again relieved.

Again, the next day, the pressure was extremely high- at one point, up to 50. Anything over 30 cannot sustain life. I had been told that the craniectomy was the last hope, that there was nothing else. The neurosurgeon came and talked to me and told me that an area in the right temporal lobe that was damaged the worst could be removed and it might help. He did the surgery and Tommy's pressure stayed normal after that. They knew he'd live, but they didn't know if he'd wake up. If he did, they didn't know how severe the damage would be. His motor strip was flattened. They thought he would never be able to hear out of his right ear. We continued to pray. There were times we had 3-4 priests and several deacons and chaplains in his room at once.

Today, he walks with a little limp in his right foot when he's tired, his strength is normal. He does have some problems with speech and comprehension, but he has improvement every day. He is learning how to read again and working on vocabulary and word-finding. He will have the cranial defects repaired this Spring. His personality is unchanged- he is still funny, witty, and loving. His hearing in the right ear is also great.

How else can this be explained??