MORE THAN

What kept them going? Simply put, they were sustained by faith and the power of prayer.

“What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul,” Corrie would later write. The Ten Booms prayed constantly for protection, for guidance, for strength and for endurance. They believed in and witnessed the tangible impact of prayer.

All people of faith pray, although they may pray differently, and with a different concept of God. No one religion has the corner on prayer. And for many Americans, every day is a day of prayer. More than half (55 percent) of Americans said they pray every day, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, while 23 percent said they pray weekly or monthly. Twentyone percent reported they seldom or never pray. Even among those who are religiously unaffiliated, 21 percent said they pray daily.

So what exactly is prayer? Can it be exactly understood?

A prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God.

A prayer is a hope.

A prayer is a cry from the heart. Anne Lamott says that three of the greatest prayers are, “Wow!”, “Thanks!” and “Help!” Sometimes people who claim to have no faith cannot help but pray these prayers.

For people of religious faith, a prayer is the most intimate and holy connection between a person and the Divine. “God does nothing except in response to believing prayer,” John Wesley said. “Prayer is where the action is.”

But prayer is also a hiding place, a shelter from the storm, a refuge in hard times. While some disdain prayer as a crutch for the weak, believers affirm that only in weakness can someone experience the strength of God. It changes things, believers say. It brings peace. It affects circumstances. It softens hearts that need reconciliation.

Prayer makes a difference.

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Dancing on Bishop

A couple dances while the Singapore Slingers play at Bastille on Bishop. The July event started in 2010, and this year’s drew about 5,000 people to Bishop Arts, making it the biggest yet. Photo by Danny Fulgencio

SEE MORE Photos from Bastille Day at oakcliff.advocatemag.com