Jimmy Wagner

Chief Executive Officer – Devotion Coin

In a digital age, the most powerful connection is still the one we make with our hearts.

We live in a world that is obsessed with the tangible. We measure our lives in data points: steps taken, dollars earned, likes received. We trust what we can see, touch, and count.

But this obsession with the material is not new. It predates the algorithms of Silicon Valley; it predates capitalism, socialism, and the empires of history. Since the days of old, the human heart has been anxious, obsessed with storing and collecting treasures that have no eternal value. We build barns for grain that eventually rots; we fill vaults with gold that we cannot take with us. We are driven by a fear of scarcity, believing that if we do not hoard, we will not survive.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen diagnosed this spiritual condition perfectly. He observed that we are trapped in a mindset of subtraction, while the Divine operates in multiplication. He famously noted that “in the arithmetic of men, there is always a deficit; but in the arithmetic of God, there is always an abundance.”

In our math, we never have enough. In God’s math, the basket is always full.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus confronts this “arithmetic of men” with the ultimate question of profit and loss: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). He constantly directed our gaze beyond the physical—beyond the loaves and fishes, beyond the coin in the fish’s mouth—to that Divine abundance that resides within us.

There is a force that taps into that abundance. A force that predates data, a technology older than silicon, and a currency more valuable than gold.

We call it a technology because it is the original mechanism for connection. Long before satellites wrapped the globe, prayer was the wireless signal that linked the finite human spirit to the Infinite Creator, allowing us to upload our burdens and download peace. We call it a currency because it creates the only wealth that cannot be stolen, taxed, or devalued. While gold fluctuates with the markets of men, the value of a sincere prayer is fixed by the mercy of God—it purchases peace in a storm, hope in a valley, and grace that outlasts time itself.

That force is Prayer.

As Saint Carlo Acutis, the first saint of the internet generation, reminded us: “Our goal must be the infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland.”

For thousands of years, across every continent and culture—from the silent meditation of a Buddhist monk to the communal chants of a Sufi circle, from the bedside whispers of a Christian mother to the dawn prayers of a Hindu priest—humanity has reached out. We reach out to the Divine, yes, but through that act, we also reach out to one another.

The Science of Stillness 

For a long time, prayer was seen purely as a private act of faith. But both the Gospels and modern science reveal it to be a force that connects us across time and space, a force that can traverse space and time, to deliver messages to God which exists outside space and time.

The Scriptures tell us that even the Son of God used this stillness to operate. In the Gospel of Mark, we read: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

This was not merely a moment of rest; it was a strategic spiritual necessity. The verse illustrates the vital importance Jesus placed on prayer as the only way to truly connect with God, prepare for His mission, and find renewed purpose away from the relentless demands of the crowd. He understood that to heal the world, He first had to step away from its distractions. He lived the truth of Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Today, science is catching up to this ancient wisdom.

Neurotheology has long shown that prayer heals the person praying—lowering cortisol and calming the “fight or flight” response. But even more compelling are the empirical studies on Intercessory Prayer (praying for others). Research in the fields of noetic sciences and non-local consciousness suggests that focused, benevolent intentions can have a measurable positive impact on a recipient’s physical and emotional health—even when that recipient is a stranger, and even when they are miles away.

This is the “Science of Stillness” in action: it proves we are not isolated islands. We are connected in a deep, invisible web. When you pray for a stranger, you are not just soothing your own mind; you are sending a signal of support that can resonate and land. We are all made in the image of God and connected by God.  

In other words: Prayer dissolves the walls between “me” and “we.” It moves us from a state of fight-or-flight into a state of rest-and-digest. It lowers cortisol, heals the heart, and quiets the noise of a chaotic world.

This benefits everyone. When the sick are supported, the community heals. When the anxious are calmed, the collective fear diminishes. By engaging in this quiet work, we contribute to a “spiritual immune system” for the entire world, lifting the burden off the weak and sharing the strength of the faithful.

The Architecture of Empathy 

But the true power of prayer is not just what it does for us; it is what it does through us.

Bishop Robert Barron often quotes the French writer Léon Bloy to remind us of a singular truth: “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.”

For many, the word “saint” sounds distant—a statue in a cathedral or a figure in a stained-glass window. But Bishop Barron reminds us that sanctity is not about being famous or flawless. To be a saint is simply to will the good of the other. It is to look at a stranger and desire their well-being as much as your own.

This is the heart of the Gospel. When Jesus saw the grief of his friends Mary and Martha, he did not offer a theological lecture. The shortest verse in the Bible tells us simply: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). He entered into their suffering. He built a bridge of empathy so strong that their pain became his pain.

When we pray for someone else—an act known as Intercession—we are practicing this “sainthood.” We are stepping out of our own ego and entering the suffering of another. We are fulfilling the command to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15).

In a fractured world, this is the ultimate glue. It is easy to be divided by politics, borders, and screens. It is much harder to hate someone you are praying for. Prayer forces us to see the humanity in the “other.” It transforms a stranger into a brother, and a statistic into a soul. It is the daily training ground where we learn to become saints.

Making the Invisible, Visible 

For too long, this labor of love has gone unrecorded. The billions of moments of hope, the quiet whispers for peace, the secret wishes for a neighbor’s healing—they vanish into the ether.

But what if we could see the support without exposing the servant?

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns us clearly: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others… But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:5-6).

This creates a dilemma for the digital age: How do we encourage one another without bragging? How do we show a hurting world that they are not alone, without sounding a trumpet to announce our own piety?

Devotion Coin answers this by designing for anonymity.

We believe that your prayer belongs to God, not to your ego. That is why our platform is built on the principle of the “Hidden Hand.” When you log a prayer, you are not posting a selfie or seeking applause. You are simply adding a spark to a global fire. The recipient sees that someone prayed—they see the coin, they feel the support, they witness the miracle of intercession—but they do not see you.

This allows us to fulfill the ultimate command of charity: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3).

By stripping away the identity, we leave only the intention. We create a space where the prayer is visible, but the pride is absent. It transforms the app from a stage for performance into a sanctuary for support. You are not broadcasting your righteousness; you are anonymously whispering to a stranger across the globe: “I am with you. God is with you. You are not fighting this storm alone.”

Conclusion: The Peace in the Storm

Ultimately, we do not pray just to change the world around us; we pray to anchor the world within us.

There is a profound moment in the Gospels (Matthew 8:24) that perfectly illustrates this power. The disciples were in a boat, surrounded by a furious storm. The waves were crashing, the wind was howling, and experienced fishermen were terrified for their lives. Panic and chaos reigned on the deck.

But where was the Lord Jesus? He was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.

He wasn’t pacing. He wasn’t panic-stricken. He wasn’t even shouting over the wind yet. He was at rest. While the world around Him was violent and chaotic, His internal world was absolute peace. That is the true power of prayer. It doesn’t promise that the storms of life will never come; it promises that we can possess a peace so deep, so anchored in trust, that we can sleep through the wind.

Devotion Coin is an invitation to find that cushion in the stern. It is a call to join a global community that chooses peace over panic, and faith over fear.

God is with us. God loves us. And in the storm, He offers us His rest.