It's a way for me to enact my philosophy of doing what you can and hoping to God for the rest; a way of letting go of worry about things that are out of my hands.

It's also an opportunity to reflect on positive things, things to be grateful for. Such a focus cultivates better thought patterns in the brain and yields an extensive crop of benefits.

How prayer ties in to God's behavior is unclear to me. I thank God for blessings, but would they have been bestowed had I not prayed? I don't know. I think many people, including many non-religious people, think of prayer as a way to coerce God into doing things and that prayer is only meaningful if such efforts work to change how things unfold. I don't agree with that. When I pray, I know that God doesn't need my advice or even my bringing something to the divine's attention. There may very well be a part of the timeless will of God that has incorporated a role for our supplications--maybe before we even make them, knowing that we will. In that way, perhaps future outcomes don't need to change (and special intervention isn't necessary) because those outcomes never existed in a way that was not already affected by the interaction between the one(s) praying and the one prayed to.

There was a time when I'd debate with someone holding that idea of prayer, but I realized after awhile that people either hold that view because they see it as some argument against God they can use or they got really hurt at some point when a prayer wasn't answered as they wish ('I prayed for Grandma to get better but she died') and neither are really open to seeing it differently.

That the idea has been firmly dismissed by some people, is not an indicator that the road to arriving at that conclusion was short, or as petty as you just suggested.

It made me think of two words: misinformation and disinformation. I found out there is a difference.

You are kinder than I in that respect.
Many - and I'm not speaking of those in the Religion group per se - have a lack of information on the subject they chose to elaborate on.
Although many here have far greater knowledge of many faiths than I, and I am edified and educated by that which is shared- I choose to not take the time and effort to correct or educate those who reveal the lack in the field of religion.
To me that would be as fruitful as going into a RW site and trying to educate there.
I have neither the time nor stomach for it.

It works for me.

My clan (Panther) tends to produce healers and herbalists, so a fair proportion of my prayer time is given over to the subject.

I just try to offer up as many as i can when i pray.

I realized that I wasn't hearing anything back that I could identify, and the outcome of whatever I was praying for, was impossible to determine if the prayer had any effect at all.

So I stopped right about the time I had tested it.

While I was testing, the only thing I thought it might have impacted was, my confidence level. So I just resolved to be confident in my abilities, and never looked back.

I also thank God a lot. I pray for general things, but rarely specific things. I can't say if my prayers get answered because when they seemingly were answered, it is impossible to prove.

I think people who don't pray do similar things but in a non-religious way. Whatever floats your boat!

My favorite story about prayer is an anecdote attributed to Mother Theresa.

She was asked by a reporter, "How often do you pray?"
She answered, "I always pray. I'm never not praying."
He asked, "What do you say when you are praying?"
She replied, "I don't say anything when I pray. I just listen."
He asked, "Well, then what does God say when you pray?"
She replied, "He doesn't say anything either. He just listens too."
He just looked at her, baffled.
She smiled gently, and said, "If I have to explain that to you you wll not understand the explanation."

To the question, "What is jazz?" He answered something along the lines of, "If I have to explain it to you, you just don't get it."

If there is a God who is loving, I just try to get closer, to attempt understanding. His existence does not depend on the day's temperature.