A function of prayer may be that God lets us ask for things and not just give them to us, so that we might become better, wiser people. Even better, that we ask things for other people. Perhaps it is only secondary whether or not our prayers are answered, especially in the way that we mean for them to be. Or as George Meredith said, “Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.” After all, God already knows what we need and what we want: it is we who are clueless about the whole affair. In seeking God, then, we find out our own true selves. Not that we should not care about the things we pray for, because that is a part of it too, I think. To quote Ani DiFranco, “God’s work isn’t done by God.” Amen to that. Indeed.