Prayer and Science by Rev. Dr. Sprecher

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 19, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 24.

Prayer and Science.

By Rev. Dr. Sprecher

THE fact of the universality of law is a modern discovery. It is not many years since men believed that rain and cloud, storm and calm, harvest and famine, sickness and health, earthquake and volcano, and all the changes which they beheld in nature, were either uncaused or were the result of the varying moods of the gods, or of God, by whose interference they were produced. But modern science has resolved every seemingly fitful change to the action of most uniform laws. Now, if the Christian doctrine of prayer involved the belief that these laws of nature must be violated every time that God answers prayer, we should not blame the scientist for rejecting prayer in the name of science. But the doctrine of answer to prayer involves no such position. The Christian claim is that God can, when he sees fit, answer his prayers without violating the laws of nature. He claims, simply, that God can do what men can with nature's laws. Men are every day modifying the phenomena of nature by adjusting the laws of nature one to another, or one against another, and so bringing to pass results which nature would not have produced, and yet violating none of her laws. So the physician does, when he introduces a new medicine into the system of the sick man, and cures him. So the engineer does when he reverses steam in his locomotive, or puts on the air-brakes, and saves a train full of people from death. The sparks from a hunter's fire may set fire to a prairie, and change the condition of the atmosphere to bring on a rain. And if men can interfere with nature's operations in accordance with law, and so bring about results which would not otherwise have taken place, cannot God do as much? He who holds the reins, shall not he guide the steeds? Has not he knowledge and command of the laws of nature, which enables him to do definitely more for his children who cry unto him, than men can do for their children? Or does he not pity his children even as an earthly father? There is, then, nothing in the uniformity of natural laws to forbid the belief that God may answer prayer.—Rev. Dr. Sprecher, of San Francisco.