How To Make Your Prayers More Effective | C.S. Lewis Fireside Chat

Summary

The transcript explores the concept of prayer and its efficacy, questioning whether it can be empirically proven and comparing it to human requests. It suggests that prayer, as a request rather than compulsion, may or may not be granted, and that its true purpose extends beyond mere petition. The narrative touches on personal experiences, the nature of divine intervention, and the role of prayer in the broader context of faith and human action, ultimately highlighting the profound mystery of God's responses to prayer.

Takeaways

• 📜 The narrative begins with a personal anecdote about a nagging feeling to get a haircut, which coincided with the barber's prayer for the speaker's visit.
• 🙏 The barber's situation illustrates a possible, yet unproven, causal connection between prayers and events, highlighting the limits of empirical proof in spiritual matters.
• 🏥 An example of miraculous healing is shared, emphasizing that while such events are extraordinary, they cannot rigorously prove a connection between prayer and recovery.
• 🔍 The discussion questions the efficacy of prayer, noting that even if prayed-for events occur, it's impossible to know if they would have happened regardless.
• ⚖️ The concept of prayer as request is explored, contrasting the idea of prayer with the notion of compulsion or magic, which would require invariable success.
• 🧪 A hypothetical experiment about the efficacy of prayer in hospitals is proposed and critiqued, pointing out the inherent contradictions in trying to empirically test prayer.
• 🤔 The script suggests that prayer cannot be scientifically tested because true prayer involves personal intent and cannot be separated from the individual's relationship with the divine.
• 💌 Comparisons to requests made to fellow humans are made, noting that causal connections are difficult to prove even in everyday interactions.
• 🌟 Prayer is described as more than just petition; it is a means of confession, penitence, adoration, and experiencing the presence of God.
• 🔗 The idea of humans coexisting with omnipotence is discussed, suggesting that prayer and actions have a role in the execution of God's will.
• 🚫 The script concludes with a warning against drawing hasty conclusions about the efficacy of prayer, especially as one's spiritual journey progresses.

Q & A

What was the initial intention of the speaker when they woke up one morning?

The speaker initially planned to get a haircut in preparation for a visit to London.

What changed the speaker's mind about going to London?

The speaker received a letter that made it clear they did not need to go to London, so they decided to postpone the haircut as well.

How did the speaker describe the nagging feeling they experienced?

The speaker described it as an unaccountable little nagging in their mind, almost like a voice saying to get their hair cut.

What was significant about the barber the speaker went to?

The barber was a fellow Christian and a man of many troubles whom the speaker and their brother had sometimes been able to help.

What happened when the speaker arrived at the barber's shop?

Upon arriving, the barber expressed that he was praying for the speaker to come that day, as he needed help, and if the speaker had come later, they would have been of no use to him.

How does the speaker feel about the possibility of a causal connection between the barber's prayers and their visit?

The speaker acknowledges that it's not possible to rigorously prove a causal connection, suggesting it might be telepathy or an accident.

What does the speaker say about the efficacy of prayer in relation to medical recovery?

The speaker mentions a case where prayer and faith led to a miraculous recovery from cancer, but emphasizes that there is no rigorous proof and that medicine itself is not an exact science.

What is the speaker's view on the idea of prayer being an infallible gimmick?

The speaker dismisses this idea, arguing that prayer is a request and not a guarantee of success. They point out that even the holiest of petitioners in the Bible experienced refusal of their prayers.

What does the speaker suggest about the nature of prayer and its relationship to the divine?

The speaker suggests that prayer is not a machine or magic, but a personal contact between finite beings and the infinite. It is a part of the continuous act of God, where finite free wills coexist with omnipotence.

How does the speaker address the challenge of empirically proving the efficacy of prayer?

The speaker argues that empirical proof and disproof are unattainable for prayer because it involves a personal relationship and request, not a controllable experiment. They also note that even if prayers are granted, it doesn't necessarily mean they were the cause.

What does the speaker conclude about the experience of prayer and its outcomes?

The speaker concludes that the assurance that God hears and sometimes grants our prayers comes not from scientific knowledge but from a personal relationship and understanding of God. They also note that as Christians progress in their faith, miraculous answers to prayer tend to become rarer and more emphatic refusals become more frequent.

Outlines

00:00

💇 The Unpredictability of Prayer and Coincidence

The speaker begins with a personal anecdote about deciding against a haircut after a canceled trip to London, only to later feel a compelling urge to get the haircut. This urge coincided with the barber's need for help, suggesting a possible connection between the speaker's decision and the barber's prayers. The speaker then discusses the limitations of proving a causal link between prayer and outcomes, using examples of miraculous recoveries from illness and the inherent uncertainty in attributing success to prayer. The speaker emphasizes that prayer is a request, not a guarantee, and that its efficacy cannot be empirically proven in the same way as scientific phenomena.

05:00

🧪 The Feasibility of Testing Prayer through Experimentation

The speaker explores the idea of testing the efficacy of prayer through a hypothetical experiment where a group of people pray for the recovery of patients in one hospital but not another, comparing the outcomes. The speaker argues that such an experiment would be flawed because true prayer must be motivated by genuine concern for the well-being of the sick, not by the desire to test prayer's effectiveness. The speaker suggests that the real purpose of prayer is not to influence outcomes but to maintain a relationship with God, and that any attempt to quantify prayer's success would miss the essence of its spiritual significance.

10:02

🙏 The Nature of Prayer Beyond Petition

The speaker delves deeper into the nature of prayer, emphasizing that petitioning for things is only a small part of prayer's broader purpose. Prayer is also about confession, penitence, adoration, and the experience of God's presence. The speaker argues that prayer is not a machine or magic but a personal interaction with God. They challenge the notion that God would alter His plans based on human prayers, suggesting that God's infinite wisdom does not require guidance. Instead, the speaker posits that prayer is part of a larger divine plan where human actions, including prayer, contribute to the unfolding of God's will in ways that are beyond human comprehension.

15:04

🕊️ The Paradox of Prayer and Divine Will

The speaker reflects on the paradox of prayer in relation to divine will. They acknowledge the mystery of why some prayers seem to be answered while others are not, using the example of Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, which was not granted. The speaker suggests that as Christians progress in their faith, they may experience fewer apparent answers to prayer, which could be a sign of deeper spiritual growth. They caution against interpreting answered prayers as proof of divine favor, as this could lead to pride or misunderstanding. Instead, the speaker encourages a humble approach to prayer, recognizing that the true nature of God's interaction with humanity is beyond our full comprehension.

Keywords

💡Prayer

Prayer, as discussed in the transcript, is a form of communication with a higher power, often seen as a request or plea for intervention or assistance. It is central to the theme of the video, which explores the efficacy and nature of prayer. The speaker uses personal anecdotes and philosophical arguments to question whether prayers directly influence events, as illustrated by the story of the barber and the miraculous recovery of a woman with cancer.

💡Telepathy

Telepathy refers to the supposed ability to transmit thoughts or intentions to another person without using the known senses. In the transcript, the concept is brought up as a possible explanation for the connection between the barber's prayers and the speaker's decision to visit him, suggesting that perhaps the barber's thoughts or prayers could have influenced the speaker's actions without any direct communication.

💡Miracle

A miracle is an extraordinary event that is attributed to a divine agency or to a supernatural power beyond the laws of nature. The transcript discusses miracles in the context of prayer and healing, questioning whether events such as the woman's recovery can be considered miraculous and, if so, whether they are directly caused by prayer. The concept challenges the viewer to consider the nature of divine intervention.

💡Empirical Proof

Empirical proof refers to evidence that is derived from observation or experimentation. The transcript discusses the difficulty of obtaining empirical proof for the efficacy of prayer, as it is challenging to establish a direct causal relationship between prayers and outcomes, especially when considering the vast number of variables involved.

💡Causal Connection

A causal connection is a relationship between two events where one event (the cause) directly influences the occurrence of the other event (the effect). The transcript explores the concept of causal connections in the context of prayer, questioning whether it is possible to rigorously prove that prayers cause specific outcomes.

💡Finite and Foolish Creatures

The phrase 'finite and foolish creatures' refers to human beings who are limited in their understanding and capabilities. In the context of the transcript, it underscores the idea that humans, with their limited perspective, make requests (prayers) to an infinitely wise being, suggesting a recognition of the vast gap between human and divine knowledge.

💡Sanctuary

In the context of the transcript, 'sanctuary' refers to a place of refuge or safety, and it is used metaphorically to describe the aspect of prayer that involves adoration and the presence of God. It suggests a sacred space where individuals can connect with the divine in a profound and personal way.

💡Atonement

Atonement refers to the act of making amends or reconciliation for a wrong or sin. In the transcript, the concept is related to the Christian belief in Jesus Christ's sacrifice as a means of reconciliation with God. It is used to illustrate the profound depth of the human-divine relationship and the transformative power of prayer.

💡Divine Abdication

The term 'divine abdication' suggests a relinquishment or withdrawal of divine power or control. In the transcript, it is used to describe the concept of God allowing human free will and natural processes to unfold without direct intervention, which can be seen as a form of divine 'abdication' to enable the existence and exercise of human agency.

💡Infinite Wisdom

Infinite wisdom refers to the complete and boundless knowledge or understanding that is attributed to a divine or supreme being. In the context of the transcript, it is used to argue that an infinitely wise being does not need to be told what is best, as it inherently knows all there is to know. This concept is central to the discussion on whether prayer can influence divine decisions.

💡Free Will

Free will is the ability to make choices that are genuinely one's own. In the transcript, the concept of free will is discussed in relation to the coexistence of human freedom and divine omnipotence. It explores the idea that God allows humans to exercise their free will, even when it means making choices that are contrary to His will or purpose.

Highlights

The narrative begins with a personal anecdote of deciding against a haircut due to a canceled trip to London.

A compelling internal voice influenced the decision to get a haircut despite the initial cancellation of the trip.

The barber's shop visit coincides with the barber's prayer for the narrator's arrival, hinting at a possible spiritual connection.

The story transitions to a discussion on the limits of medical science and the unpredictability of life outcomes.

A miraculous recovery from cancer is recounted, illustrating the boundaries of medical knowledge and the potential role of faith.

The efficacy of prayer is questioned, challenging the idea of a direct causal link between prayer and outcomes.

The concept of prayer as a request, rather than a guarantee, is emphasized, highlighting the nature of prayer as a humble appeal.

The idea of empirically testing prayer through experiments is introduced, questioning the feasibility and integrity of such an approach.

The necessity of aligning the heart with the words in prayer is discussed, suggesting that true prayer cannot be reduced to a mechanical act.

Comparisons are drawn between prayers to God and requests made to fellow humans, emphasizing the difficulty in proving causality in both scenarios.

The assurance of prayer's effectiveness comes from personal relationships and experiences, not from scientific methods.

Prayer is depicted as a personal contact rather than a magical tool, emphasizing the relational aspect over the transactional.

The complexity of coexisting finite free wills with omnipotence is explored, suggesting a divine abdication that allows for human agency.

The idea that prayer might become rarer and more discerning as one's faith deepens is introduced, challenging the notion of constant miraculous intervention.

The narrative concludes with a reflection on the mystery of God's ways, particularly in the context of suffering and the apparent forsaking of prayers.

The importance of humility in attributing outcomes to prayer is stressed, warning against hasty conclusions and self-serving interpretations.

The profound concept of prayer as an integral part of the continuous act of God is presented, suggesting that prayer is not separate but intertwined with divine action.

Transcripts

Sam arm years ago I got up one morning

intending to have my hair cut in

preparation for a visit to London and

the first letter I opened made it clear

I need not go to

London so I decided to put the haircut

off

too but then there began the most

unaccountable little nagging in my mind

almost like a voice saying get it cut

off the same go and get it

cut in the end I could stand it no

longer I

went now my barber at that time was a

fellow

Christian and a man of many troubles who

my brother and I had sometimes been able

to help the moment I opened his shop

door he said oh I was praying you you

might come today and in fact if I had

come a day or so later I should have

been of no use to him it it AED me it

ores me still but of course one cannot

rigorously prove a causal connection

between the Barber's prayers and my

visit it might be telepathy it might be

accident I have stood by the bedside of

a woman whose thigh bone was eaten

through with cancer and who had thriving

colonies of the disease in many other

bones as well it took three people to

move her in bed the doctors predicted a

few months of Life the nurses who often

know better a few weeks a good man laid

his hands on her and

prayed a year later the patient was

walking uphill too through rough

Woodland and the man who took the last

x-ray photos was saying these bones are

a solid as rock it's

miraculous but once again there is no

rig ous proof medicine as all true

doctors admit is not an exact

science we need not invoke the

supernatural to explain the

falsification of its prophecies you need

not unless you choose believe in a

causal connection between the prayers

and the

recovery the question then

arises what sort of evidence would prove

the efficacy of

prayer the thing we pray for may happen

but how can you ever know it was not

going to happen anyway even if the thing

were indisputably

miraculous it would not follow that the

miracle had occurred because of your

prayers the answer surely is that a

compulsive empirical proof such as we

have in the Sciences can never be

attained some things are proved by The

Unbroken uniformity of our experiences

the law of gravitation is established by

the fact that in our experience all

bodies without exception obey

it now even if all the things that

people prayed for happened which they do

not this would not prove what Christians

mean by the efficacy of

prayer for prayer is

request the essence of request as

distinct from compulsion is that it may

or may not be granted and if an

infinitely wise being listens to the

requests of finite and foolish creatures

of course he will sometimes Grant and

sometimes refuse them invariable success

in prayer would not prove the Christian

doctrine at

all it would prove something much more

like

magic a power in certain human

beings to control or or

compel the course of

nature there are no doubt passages in

the New Testament which may seem at

first sight to promise an invariable

granting of our

prayers but that cannot be what they

really

mean for in the very heart of the story

we meet a glaring instance to the

contrary in gson the holiest of all

petitioners prayed three times that a

certain cup might pass from him it did

not after that the idea that prayer is

recommended to us as a sort of

infallible gimmick may be

dismissed other things are proved not

simply by experience but by those

artificially contrived experiences which

we call

experiments could this be done about

prayer I will pass over the objection

that no Christian could take part in

such a

project because he has been forbidden it

you must not try experiments on God your

master forbidden or not is the thing

even

possible I have seen it suggested that a

team of people the more the better

should agree to pray as hard as they

knew how over a period of 6 weeks for

all the patients in hospital a and none

of those in hospital

B then you would TT up the results and

see if a had more cures and fewer deaths

and I suppose you would repeat the

experiment at various times and places

so as to eliminate the influence of

irrelevant

factors the trouble is that I do not see

how any real prayer could go on under

such

condition words without thoughts never

to Heaven go

says the king in Hamlet simply to say

prayers is not to pray otherwise the

team of properly trained parrots would

serve as well as men for our

experiment you cannot pray for the

recovery of the sick unless the end you

have in view is their

recovery but you can have no motive for

Desiring the recovery of all the

patients in one hospital and none of

those in another

you are not doing it in order that

suffering should be

relieved you are doing it to find out

what

happens the real purpose and the nominal

purpose of your prayers are at

variance in other words whatever your

tongue and teeth and knees may do you

are not

praying the experiment demands an

impossibility empirical proof and

disproof are then

unobtainable but this conclusion will

seem less depressing if we remember that

prayer is request and compare it with

other specimens of the same thing we

make requests of our fellow creatures as

well as of God we ask for the salt we

ask for a raise in pain we ask a friend

to feed the cat while we are on our

holidays we ask a woman to marry

us sometimes we get what we ask for and

sometimes

not but when we do it is not nearly so

easy as one might supposed to prove with

scientific certainty a causal connection

between the asking and the

getting your neighbor may be a Humane

person who would not have let your cat

starve even if you had forgotten to make

any

Arrangement your employer is never so

likely to Grant your request for a ray

as when he is aware that you could get

better money from a rival firm and is

quite possibly intending to secure You

by a raise in any case as for the lady

who consents to marry you are you sure

she had not decided to do so

already your proper s you know might

have been the result not the

cause of her

decision aain important conversation

might never never have taken class

unless she had intended that it

should thus in some measure the same

doubt that hangs about the causal

efficacy of our prayers to God hangs

also about our prayers to

man whatever we get we might have been

going to get anyway but only as I say in

some measure our friend boss and wife

may tell us that they acted because we

asked and we may know them so well as to

feel sure first that they are saying

what they believe to be true and

secondly that they understand their own

motives well enough to be right but

notice that when this happens our

Assurance has not been gained by the

methods of science we do not try the

control experiment of refusing the raise

or breaking off the

engagement and then making our request

again under fresh condition

our Assurance is quite different in kind

from scientific

knowledge it is born out of our personal

relation to the other parties not from

knowing things about them but from

knowing them our Assurance if we reach

an

assurance that God always hears and

sometimes grants our prayers and that

apparent granting are not merely

fortuitous can only come in the same

sort of way there can be no question of

tabulating successes and failures and

trying to decide whether the successes

are too numerous to be accounted for by

chance those who best know a man best

know whether when he did what they asked

he did it because they

asked I think those who best know God

will best know whether he sent me to the

barber's shop because the barber prayed

for up till now we have been tackling

the whole question in the wrong way and

on the wrong level the very question

does prayer work puts us in the wrong

frame of mind from the

outset work as if it were magic or a

machine something that functions

automatically prayer is either a Sheer

Illusion or a personal contact between

embryonic incomplete persons ourselves

and the utterly concrete person prayer

in the sense of petition asking for

things is a small part of it confession

and penitence are its threshold

adoration its

Sanctuary the presence and vision and

enjoyment of God it's Bread and Wine in

it God shows himself to us that he

answers prayers is a

corollary not necessarily the most

important

one from that Revelation what he does is

learned from what he

is petitionary prayer is nonetheless

both allowed and commanded to us give us

our daily bread and no doubt it raises a

theoretical

problem can we believe that God ever

really modifies his action in response

to the suggestions of

men for Infinite Wisdom does not need

telling what is best an infinite

goodness needs no urging to do it but

neither does God need any of those

things that are done by finite agents

whether living or inanimate he could if

he chose repair our bodies miraculously

without food or give us food without the

aid of farmers Bakers and butchers or

knowledge without the aid of learned men

or convert the Heathen without

missionaries instead he allows soil

and weather and animals and the muscles

minds and wills of men to cooperate in

the execution of his

will God said Pascal instituted prayer

in order to lend to his creatures the

Dignity of

causality but not only prayer whenever

we act at all he lends us that

dignity it is not really stranger nor

less strange that my prayers should

affect the course of events

than that my other actions should do so

they have not advised or changed God's

mind that is his overall purpose but

that purpose will be realized in

different ways according to the actions

including the prayers of his creatures

for he seemed to do nothing of himself

which he can possibly delegate to his

creatures He commands us to do slowly

and blundering what he could do

perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye

he allows us to neglect what he would

have us do or to fail perhaps we do not

fully realize the problem so to call it

of enabling finite free wills to coexist

with

omnipotence it seems to involve at every

moment almost a sort of divine

abdication We Are Not Mere recip I or

Spectators we are either privileged to

share in the game or compelled to

collaborate in the work to wield our

little

Trident is this amazing process simply

creation going on before our

eyes this is how no life matter God

makes

something indeed makes God's out of

nothing so at least it seems to me but

what I have offered can be at the very

best only a mental model or

symbol all that we say on such subjects

must be merely analogical and

parabolic the reality is doubtless not

comprehensible by our faculties but we

can at any rate try to expel bad

analogies and bad

Parables prayer is not a machine is not

magic it is not advice offered to

God our act when we pray must not any

more than all our other

acts be separated from the continuous

Act of God himself in which

alone all finite causes

operate it would be even worse to think

of those who get what they pray for as a

sort of Court favorites people who have

influence with the

throne the refused prayer of Christ in

Gethsemane is answer enough to that and

I dare not leave out the hard saying

which I once heard from an experienced

Christian I have seen many striking

answers to prayer and more than one that

I thought

miraculous but they usually come at the

beginning before conversion or soon

after it as the Christian Life proceeds

they tend to be

rarer the refusals too are not only more

frequent they become more

unmistakable more

emphatic does God then forsake just

those who serve him best well he who

served him best of all said near his

tortured death why hast Thou forsaken me

when God becomes man that man of all

others is least comforted by God at his

greatest need there is a mystery here

which even if I had the power I might

not have the courage to

explore meanwhile little people like you

and me if our prayers are sometimes

granted beyond all hope and

probability had better not draw Hasty

conclusions to our own

Advantage if we were stronger we might

be less tenderly

treated if we were braver we might be

sent with far less help to defend far

more desperate posts in the great

battle

for