On The Efficacy Of Prayer Poem by L MILTON HANKINS

I have often wondered what would happen
Or, whether it would make any difference at all
If everyone in the whole world stopped praying
At the same time … (to think it takes a lot of gall) .
Would the Almighty breathe a sigh of relief,
Would he wonder what happened to his creation?
Would he choose to bring on great calamity, or
Maybe, consign all to fiery hell and damnation?

I suspect, when all is said and done, prayer goes
About as high as the ceiling in a one-story building
For no matter what you pray for, it seems to me,
The will of the Almighty appears to be unyielding.
The earth keeps revolving around the sun in space
Things that matter the most like clockwork abide--
The sun rises daily in the east and sets in the west
Sooner or later everyone, including us, has died.

Having faith is a beautiful thing for anyone, I think
Believing an Almighty is guiding each of our ways--
But, foolish to think words whispered into space
Will make a difference in the quality of our days.
When has prayer changed anything that matters?
With believers praying throughout the universe
Is your life or, for that matter, the world-at-large
Appreciably much better or considerably worse?