Prayer

Prayer is a practice of communicating with a deity, higher power, or sacred reality. It can be spoken or silent, formal or informal, solitary or communal, and may involve requests, gratitude, praise, confession, or intercession. Practices vary across traditions, but prayer commonly seeks connection, guidance, healing, or moral grounding.

Across religions and cultures, forms of prayer differ. In many Christian traditions, prayers may be liturgical or spontaneous. Jewish prayer includes blessings, the Shema, and the Amidah. Muslims perform the five daily salah. Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and traditional folk practices include mantras, meditative recitation, and devotional offerings. Some traditions emphasize direct conversation with a deity, others focus on contemplation or moral reflection. Secular or non-theistic approaches sometimes treat prayer as mindfulness or ethical aspiration.

Prayers often use specific methods or objects: prescribed texts or phrases, vocalized or silent, particular postures, and ritual items such as rosaries, prayer beads, or prayer rugs. Timing is common, including daily or weekly rituals, seasonal observances, and meals.

The purposes and effects of prayer include consolation, guidance, community bonding, gratitude, repentance, and ethical formation. It can reinforce personal identity and shared beliefs, or function as a private coping mechanism.

Scholarly study yields mixed results regarding prayer's efficacy for health or outcomes, with methodological debates on causality and study design. Many researchers focus on mechanisms such as expectancy, social support, or reduced stress, while theologians and practitioners emphasize experiential meaning and relationship with the sacred.