(August 16, 2014 at 11:00 am)Tonus Wrote: That sounds a lot like the power of positive thinking. Psychologists are beginning to understand that how we perceive reality has a considerable effect on how we act and react. The person who has a great deal of self-confidence probably has much higher self-esteem than is warranted, but he carries himself in that manner anyway. And people react to his self-confidence by seeing him through the lens he presents himself with, which often provides him with opportunities from people who might otherwise have not given him the time of day.
Prayer is a form of affirmation, a phrase or phrases that create or strengthen a particular mindset. If you believe that god in on your side in your job search, you may be more confident and more proactive in your search and reach for opportunities that you might otherwise have skipped. There is the other side to this, in that a person may consider that prayer is sufficient, and uses it in lieu of action, which can be very harmful in the long run. Especially if it is paired with the sort of "every outcome is proof" rationalization that many believers subscribe to.
The Tony Robbins effect.
