THIS
Gamecock's reply is spot on. Too many Christians seem to think that all you have to do is "name" something and "claim" it, whether it be an appeal to do so by faith or prayer. Not so at all.
Matthew 6:7-8:
"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him"
A most common question that seems to arise is, "well, If God knows what we want and need, why pray?"
Here's a great, succinct explanation to answer that question provided by Ligonier.org:
"God knows what we need before we ask Him, and in His providence He meets those needs. Yet, if God knows what we need, why do we pray? To understand the relationship between God’s providence and prayer, we must have a right understanding of prayer. While God certainly knows what we need and the desires of our hearts, He calls us to verbalize our needs to Him. The reason He does this is not because He needs to be nudged out of some slumber to act on our behalf, but because prayer benefits us and deepens our dependence on Him."
The rest of this very, very good explanation is located at:
Why Pray?
Hoss
Amen! It certainly does. It also benefits our relationships with fellow Christians when we share our needs, desires, problems and join our prayers to theirs. It strengthens our faith when we see the hand of God - sometimes in miraculous ways. In Philippians 4:6, Paul says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Some forget that the next verse says:
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We shouldn't expect EVERYTHING we ask of God will be done according to our wants, but He will answer according to our needs. And that is why the peace of God WILL guard our hearts and minds through Christ. When God says, "No.", I have always found the reason and the awesome wisdom behind it. It gives me peace to know that He loves me and, no matter what, I have faith that ALL things work together for my good. That is FAR more a blessing than expecting Almighty God to be our Fairy Godfather.