Investigators at the University of Massachusetts surveyed 30,080 adults in 2002 and 22,306 adults in 2007 and discovered that more Americans are praying about their health.
- In 2002, 43% of those surveyed said they prayed about their health.æ
- That number jumped to 49% in 2007, according to The New York Times.
- In 1999, only 14% of survey participants reported praying about their health.
Groups less likely to pray include those who exercise regularly and those with higher incomes. More like were individuals who were more devout include women, African-Americans, older and married people, and those whose health status had changed.æ
Many things contribute to the healing process. Prayer, like a positive attitude is certainly one of those intangibles. And there have certainly been documented medical miracles where physicians themselves can cite nothing more than divine intervention.æ
We will probably never know what prayer does to prevent or heal but in my opinion it certainly can’t hurt anything.