Prayer can give us a sense of connection with God. Prayer not only makes us feel better, it can also help us become better people. But it doesn’t cause miracles. At least, not the type we read about in the bible (how I wish it did though).

Prayer existed long before the Scientific Revolution, but it didn’t stop people in those days from dying in droves from illnesses and famines. Far fewer people die from those problems now, even though there are billions more people on the planet.

An argument could be made that the scientific method was a gift from God. A case could even be made (though not a strong one) that prayer is what caused us to discover it. But we have to admit that prayer doesn’t cause problems to suddenly vanish.

Actions are what cause change. And sometimes there’s nothing that can be done. That’s the reality of the world we’re living in. That’s why good decision-making is so important and that’s why acceptance is important — the willingness to accept the things we can’t change. That’s real faith — to trust God in spite of it all.