“Now I lay me down to sleep.” Many of us were taught the prayer as children and in turn taught it to our children. One couple bought a Sampler with the prayer embroidered, and wanting to surprise their little boy hung it on the wall above his bed. That night as he knelt to say the prayer he caught sight of it hanging on the wall. “Well God,” the little boy said, “there it is” and he hopped into bed.

It is a story I used to use as a sermon illustration of how prayer too often degenerates into formulaic liturgical nonsense, whether the reading of prayers, the counting of beads or things like prayer wheels and burning prayer papers. And while we read in the Bible we are to “pray without ceasing” and the stories about “men of prayer” that would spend hours in this holy exercise are legion there remains the fact the wicked continue to prosper and tyrants and despots continue to wage their wars and the monsters preying on women and children are not thwarted from their depredations nor their victims saved by any amount of prayers or their screaming out to God to deliver them.

I have written much and preached many a sermon on the topic of prayer. Among the points I have covered is if there is evidence of God it is that prayer is as normal as breathing to human beings, especially the crying out to God in extremis. But as a man of science as well as theology and philosophy I struggle with many unanswered questions, not the least of which is answers to the human condition. Part of the struggle is separating what I know from what I believe. And while I continue to believe I commune with God all through the day and as the Psalmist with my head on my pillow each night, while I often draw comfort from this it remains I don’t know but what I am speaking to myself rather than God. And, gentle reader, neither do you.

Prayer is certainly foremost among the consolations of religion; but what of the Imprecatory prayers in the Psalms? There is a virtual litany of asking God to wreak destruction even against children. Then there is the Jewish and Muslim prayer “Thank you God that I was not born a woman!” The prayers of Muslims are replete with asking Allah to “destroy the infidels.” And a billion Muslims believe Allah is a deity dedicated to the destruction of all infidels, that this deity is pleased by bowing to it five times a day.

Death is something each one of us will experience, and it will be the most intensely personal experience any of us will ever have since we all die alone. For many prayer will ease the transition, if it is a transition, both for the dying and those they leave behind. But even in life we live our lives alone since none can see through another’s eyes. And who among us would wish to have the secrets of our minds revealed to others? Those things actually done in secret apart from “unholy” thoughts are often bad enough to invite the demons that tear at the fabric of sleep. “The prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” But do you know a “righteous” man; do you consider yourself to be a “righteous” person capable of moving God to act by your prayers?

Yet many believe, though they will not say so, God is incapable of acting without their prayers. Why? It is as Emerson pointed out believers seemed content to hand the world over to the Devil by default expecting their reward in heaven without confronting and overcoming the evil pervading the world. Any theology or prayers dedicated to this proposition would appear at the least faulty thinking if not in fact blaming God for not doing what is the responsibility of people to do.

From personal experience I am acutely familiar with the “Spirit making intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.” The very psychosis of grief often drives people into this experience leaving them incapable of even uttering a word to God in prayer.

But when all is said and done people will believe what they want to believe. It is the failure, even the refusal on the part of some to separate what they believe from what they know insisting others bow to their beliefs with which I find fault. For my part, when it comes to matters of belief I confess I simply do not know but believe. I wish others would be equally honest in matters of their own beliefs.

While I welcome the sentiment of good people who say “I will pray for you,” there is this to consider. Is their own standing with God such as to warrant their asking his attention to me, attention I am unworthy of asking for myself? I know the Bible thoroughly cover to cover. I know all the Scriptures having to do with prayer. But the Bible is after all a book of the thoughts of men, and while much of it reflects my own thoughts about God and prayer it remains people, including me, will believe what they want to believe.

What people say and write about things like prayer and angels is anecdotal and like claims of UFO’s without hard evidence of such claims notwithstanding the many claims of “miracles” and “answers to prayer.” My own belief is there was war in the heavens brought to earth, that humankind suffers this continuing warfare, that there are children of God and children of the Devil. But I don’t believe God needs anyone to tell him his business, and whatever this battle is between good and evil with good people suffering the consequences of this ongoing struggle it remains good people will either confront this evil without blaming God or evil and the spawn of Satan will continue in the ascendancy as they have ever done throughout human history.