Sherry Sterling

Dear friends,

How do you decide when to keep your prayers to yourself, and when to reach out for others’ prayers?

When facing a recent life event, I wrestled with this—believing in the power of prayer, yet wanting to preserve my privacy. I finally reached out to others for prayer. I was comforted, encouraged and respected. And I was reminded of the scientifically proven effectiveness of prayer, that experiments have shown prayer impacts living things, such as the growth of plants.

I was reminded that prayer really can impact this life, on a cellular level.

I remembered two of Larry Dossey’s books on prayer, Healing Words, and Prayer is Good Medicine. A medical doctor, Dossey references studies proving the link between prayer and healing. He recounts experiments showing the effect of prayer on the germination rate of seeds, on the metabolic activity of yeast cultures, and to both inhibit and stimulate the growth of bacteria. It was also shown that a prayer approach of “Thy will be done” was more powerful than when praying for specific results.

Prayer is not just an action of thoughts or words, it can actually change how living things grow and function. Prayer makes a difference!

In the gospel reading for today, Luke 10:1-9, Jesus is sending out the seventy-two, two by two, to towns where he’s about to go. He instructs them to travel light, to stay in one place in each town, to accept the food and drink given them, and to offer peace and healing. In verses 10 and 11, he goes on to say if they’re not welcomed, to wipe the dust from their feet as they leave the town, as a warning. Jesus asked for their participation in his mission, and for their assessment of welcome or not.

In our prayers and in our actions, we are participants in God’s work. We depend on God, and on each other. Our words, thoughts, and deeds make a difference. I am opening more and more to how we are integral participants in this life, not mere spectators.

Peace and love,

—Sherry