Short analysis of "The Efficacy of Prayer" by C.S. Lewis

     
       The essay "The Efficacy of prayer" by C.S. Lewis is about prayer and how it can not be proven to be effective. He argues against misconceptions that he hears about prayer through scripture and the knowledge that God is omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent, and the one who actually answers prayers. He writes to fellow Christians to express his belief in prayer in hopes that others would understand them or at least be convinced against certain misconceptions about prayer.
The logos arguments were well done, Lewis mentions how some miraculous healings do happen somehow but it can not be proven because if one was to do an experiment of praying for one group of people only but insuring that another group does not get prayed for they are not being sincere because their real motivation is to test God, not to get healing for the people in the hospital, and that prayer is a request and that God chooses what happens for reasons know only to him because he is all wise and people do not know all as he does. Lewis gives an example of God not granting prayer by referencing Jesus in the garden, and how he prayed to not have to be crucified yet he still was and he also uses this to refute the assertion that God's favorites get all their prayers answered. He tries to disprove bad analogies such as prayer being a machine or magic which would work through human effort and not through God, to whom the prayers are adressed, and who grants or refuses the prayers. Ethos is done in a humble way in which he says that what he says is how it seems to him and admits how their are mysteries that not even he can explore but does so in such a way that strengthens his argument because he says that no human can fully understand God's will, such as in answering prayers, which is part of his logos argument and it helps support that with the example of himself. Pathos is done with the examples of things seemingly caused by prayer such as him going to the barber when he originally decided not because the barber prayed and how the woman was healed after someone laid his hands on her and prayed. This examples inspire a feeling of curiosity and wonder towards prayer. He also offers the comforting Christian statements of how God is all knowing and absolutely good and only gives us what we can handle to explain why prayers may go unanswered or challenges arise.