Prayer is Good for Your Health!

We know prayer is good for the soul. It turns out it may be good for the rest of us, too.

Christians don’t pray primarily because prayer is good for our health. We pray because there is a God who loves us, hears us, and invites us into relationship with Him. But something happens when we pray.

We slow down. We turn our attention away from our problems and toward God. We express fears instead of carrying them alone. We give thanks. We ask for help. And we remember that we aren’t ultimately in control—and don’t have to be.

Researchers have increasingly studied the relationship between spiritual and contemplative practices and human health. Practices involving quiet attention, gratitude, controlled breathing, and reflection have been associated with reduced stress and improvements in areas of emotional and physical well-being.

Prayer can include many of those same elements. But Christian prayer is more than a relaxation technique. We aren’t simply calming ourselves. We’re bringing ourselves into the presence of God.

Scripture understood this long before modern research.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Prayer gives us somewhere to take our worry, fear, grief, and uncertainty. It doesn’t guarantee perfect health or eliminate the need for medical care. But it reminds us that we don’t carry life’s burdens alone.

Prayer is good for the soul.

And it just might be good for the rest of you, too.