Prayer To Get Well Soon?

Kanwaljit Singh · #1 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 07:08 AM

One of our friends is not doing well. So there was just a status message asking for prayers so that he gets well soon. I was thinking, why are we praying about? Are we reminding God that this nice man is suffering and needs God's help? Are we asking God to save him? I am a bit confused and feel a bit guilty for having such questions! Maybe I am just over-analyzing the usual figures of speech in today's language!
*

findingmyway · #2 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 07:32 AM

I personally don't believe it makes any difference to God but it helps the person who is sick psychologically to know others out there care enough to remember them. If there is any effect on the healing process, I think it is a psychological one, which can be very powerful.

Gyani Jarnail Singh · #3 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 08:12 AM

Its similar to visiting the sick in hospital..giving them flowers, chatting with them..holding their hands...ALL these dont really help medically...but are great boosters of happiness..

Luckysingh · #4 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gyani Jarnail Singh

Its similar to visiting the sick in hospital..giving them flowers, chatting with them..holding their hands...ALL these dont really help medically...but are great boosters of happiness..

Absolutely, It's a gesture of kindness and care just to say waheguru or god bless for them.
As a patient, it is definitely comforting to hear. To know that someone else is hoping and saying a prayer or two for your well being is the least that one can physically do, because one can't give a magic cure for such patient.

I was in a very serious condition about a year ago where I was in a coma for weeks. When I came around, it was very comforting and reassuring when everyone was telling me that they had prayed for me. Just the thought itself of knowing that all those around you care and took more than a moment or two to think about you is itself a booster.

Waheguru
Lucky Singh

Ishna · #5 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 13:27 PM

I am in agreeance with my bhajis and bheinjis so far.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/general-discussion/38713-prayer-to-get-well-soon.html

But, do you still actually pray for a sick person (with the belief that it won't actually help them), or do you just tell them you're praying for them?

Personally, I do actually pray for them. I wonder if by doing so, are we abusing our spiritual integrity. Perhaps it is as psychologically healing for us as it is for them though.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=38713

Harry is banned from commenting on this thread.

just kidding!

harry haller · #6 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 14:22 PM

Quote:

Harry is banned from commenting on this thread.

I will actually confess to be being ever so slightly irritated when people pray for me, I also get equally irritated when people use the phrase 'God bless'.

Creator is everywhere, in everything, knows everything. By praying, firstly, are we not saying to Creator,' please change Hukam?' or are we saying 'the will you have gifted us is inadequate, make a better one'.

We are all blessed, 24 hours a day, blessed with free will, the choice to nail our colours to the mast of self, or Guru.

Prayer at its most basic, asking Creator for help, can be both superstitious and ritualistic. And if we are praying for someone else, if we really believe it will help, then it is questioning Hukam to boot.Invariably we feel the need to let the person know that they are being prayed for, I would say if prayer is 'like' visiting someone in hospital, or chatting to them, why not cut out the middle man, and just stick with the visiting in hospital and chatting.

Of all the thoughts, actions and words that I will think, do and say today, I find it ludicrous that Creator will only note and act on what I have outlined as a prayer. It as ludicrous as those that behave in a certain way in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, forgetting that Creator is present everywhere 24/7.

Quote:

Maybe I am just over-analyzing the usual figures of speech in today's language!

Maybe if we all over-analyse the usual figures of speech then we might move away from Sikhism turning into a magical miracle machine.Sikhism, in my view, is an acceptance of Creators order, obeying the laws of Creation, of being able to assist, and of having the knowledge to know what to do when assisting. The latter, some call Simran, some call prayer, but you cannot beat constant, calm, dialogue with Creator.

If you are learning to drive, then your driving instructor is your Guru, if the object is to gain a licence, then the mission is to gain as much knowledge from the Guru as possible, whilst showing respect and humility to one who has the power to instruct you. Prostrating yourself in front of the instructor and praying, chanting and begging that you pass, on account of your devotion to him is not really going to cut the mustard, Life is a test, the exam is everyday, there will be those that get top marks for devotion, and then there are the quiet ones, they respect the teacher, but are not teachers pets, they are more concerned with passing the exam than giving apples, and the more knowledge they obtain, the quieter they get

ਮੰਨੇ ਕੀ ਗਤਿ ਕਹੀ ਨ ਜਾਇ
The state of the faithful cannot be described.
ਜੇ ਕੋ ਕਹੈ ਪਿਛੈ ਪਛੁਤਾਇ ॥
One who tries to describe this shall regret the attempt.

Ishna · #7 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 17:52 PM

But what if the prayer for them is not "Dear God help them get better soon" but "Dear God may they be blessed to accept your hukam" or "May Harry ji be blessed with realisation of Naam and find peace therein"?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=38713

I dunno, I think this kind of prayer might have a place in the world.

Soul_jyot · #8 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 20:17 PM

Newsmaxhealth.com

Proof of the Healing Power of Prayer

Friday, April 6, 2012 12:28 PM

For the devout, there never has been any question — prayer has the power to heal. Now, more and more medical research from leading hospitals and universities across the United States has shown conclusively that a belief in God really is good for you, and can make you healthier, happier, and induce you to live longer to boot.

“Studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick, and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster,” Duke University’s Dr. Harold G. Koenig tells Newsmax.

An exhaustive analysis of more than 1,500 reputable medical studies “indicates people who are more religious and pray more have better mental and physical health,” Koenig says. “And out of 125 studies that looked at the link between health and regular worship, 85 showed regular churchgoers live longer.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=38713

Dr. Koenig, director of Duke’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, and the author of several authoritative books on faith and healing, says a striking study published in the Southern Medical Journal last year demonstrated that prayer has a remarkable effect on patients with hearing and visual deficiencies. After prayer sessions, “They showed significant improvements based on audio and visual tests,” Koenig says.

What’s more, he says, “The benefits of devout religious practice, particularly involvement in a faith community and religious commitment, are that people cope better. In general, they cope with stress better, they experience greater well-being because they have more hope, they're more optimistic, they experience less depression, less anxiety, and they commit suicide less often.” He adds, “They have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and probably better cardiovascular functioning.”

The proof of the power of prayer is overwhelming, says researcher and writer Tom Knox, a one-time atheist who became a regular worshipper after doing in-depth study of the medical benefits of faith. “What I discovered astonished me. Over the past 30 years a growing, and largely unnoticed, body of scientific work shows religious belief is medically, socially, and psychologically beneficial.”
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=38713

Study after study backs up the benefits of having faith, especially in prolonging life.

In 2006, population researchers at the University of Texas discovered that the more often you go to church, the longer you live. “Religious attendance is associated with adult mortality in a graded fashion,” says Knox. “There is a seven-year difference in life expectancy between those who never attend church and those who attend weekly.”

The American Journal of Public Health studied nearly 2,000 older Californians for five years and found that those who attended religious services were 36 percent less likely to die during that period than those who didn’t.

A study of nearly 4,000 older adults for the U.S. Journal of Gerontology revealed that atheists had a significantly increased chance of dying over a six-year period than the faithful. Crucially, religious people lived longer than atheists even if they didn’t go regularly to a place of worship.

Prayer intercession also has been shown to have a positive impact across a wide range of diseases and disorders.

The American Society of Hypertension established in 2006 that churchgoers have lower blood pressure than non-believers. Scientists have also revealed believers recover from breast cancer quicker than non-believers, have better outcomes from coronary disease and rheumatoid arthritis, and are less likely to have children with meningitis.

A massive 12-month study from a Kansas City hospital showed patients admitted with heart trouble did better when somebody was praying for them. Amazingly, the patients were not told people were praying for them. Volunteers from a local church were given the first name of a patient on a piece of paper and asked to pray for that person.

Those patients had fewer complications than those who weren’t prayed for. Researchers said they did not have a scientific explanation for the outcome.

Research at San Francisco General Hospital looked at the effect of prayer on 393 cardiac patients. Half were prayed for by strangers who had only the patients’ names. Those patients had fewer complications, fewer cases of pneumonia, and needed less drug treatment. They also got better quicker and left the hospital earlier.

Two studies at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center showed prayer could be a positive benefit for AIDS victims, too. Patients not prayed for spent six times as long in hospital as those who received prayers — and got three times as many illnesses.

An arthritis treatment center in Florida used prayer sessions to try to help patients suffering pain. A study says they showed “significant overall improvement” for up to one year later.

In a study of nearly 92,000 people in Maryland, people who attended church once or more a week had 50 percent fewer deaths from coronary artery disease, 56 percent fewer deaths from emphysema, 74 percent fewer deaths from cirrhosis, and 53 percent fewer suicides.

Concluded Knox: “Atheists can sneer at faith all they like, but they can’t assume science is on their side.”

© 2012 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

source: http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/headlin...06/443812.html

Recommended Reading:

- The Miracle of Ardas, by Sant Baba Surain Singh Ji & Saint Scholar Naranjan Singh Ji ( Shirmoni Kathakar)
- Ardas Shakti, by Raghbir Singh Bir

jasbirkaleka · #9 (**permalink**) 25-Jun-2012, 23:43 PM

The Miracle of Ardas[/B], by Sant Baba Surain Singh Ji & Saint Scholar Naranjan Singh Ji ( Shirmoni Kathakar)
- Ardas Shakti, by Raghbir Singh Bir[/COLOR][/quote]

My sincere advice to all Sikhs is to keep at arm"s length,all such scholars and sants.