Does prayer really work?

Yesterday I went up to the 4th floor PICU at Sanford to visit a sweet little boy who's fighting for his life.  All day yesterday I prayed and prayed. I thought about him and envisioned good energy traveling in his direction. I asked other people to pray for him and I woke up praying for him.

It struck me yesterday, though- the fact that so many were sending love and energy to this child and that I was praying so wholeheartedly for him.  I felt good about doing it and felt like it was helping.

Most people who know me and who know me understand I'm not a religious person.
I've often wondered about prayer, though, and my partner and I discuss matters of the soul, the spiritual, and of a higher power often. We discuss whether souls exist, where souls might go if, indeed, they exist and what happens after death.  We talk about prayer and how it might help- or who it might help.

I've thought for quite a while now that prayer and meditation are things we do for ourselves that lift our consciousness to another level. To me prayer is aligning my energy with the person or situation I'm focusing on.  If I'm praying or meditating on a certain situation occurring in my personal life, I feel prayer sorts out the conscious and unconscious enough to allow an answer to come from 'somewhere'. Is it God, I don't know- and I don't care, for that matter.

I think whether there is or isn't a God is none of my business. It just doesn't matter.  What does matter to me, is love and is sending that love out to people. It matters to me to look within, because that's where the answers are. We already know the answers to most things...  And I'm not saying this in a narcissistic way, mind you. I'm saying that God is within...whatever this God thing is.

We know the answers and we can affect people in ways we can't even comprehend. I truly believe- I know- that all of the prayers that have come for Rowan and that are still coming help. I know there are people who pray for us every single day. I know prayer works... because we're all connected.

What's my point, you ask? I'm wondering how you feel about prayer and the power behind it.

Oh, and please pray for sweet little Lucas.  He could really use it right now...