There are basically three types of prayer:
1) Praise: We are commanded by God throughout the Bible to praise Him. Why? well, not because He is an insecure tyrant, but rather it is in order that WE remember what He means to US. We�re not doing it for His benefit, but for our own.
2) Thanksgiving: Again, not because He wants to be thanked, but in order that we acknowledge that it is through Him that we receive our blessings.
3) Petition: The hardest of the three to explain. If you believe, as many do, that God has a plan for mankind, then it might seem that praying for Him to do something for us is pointless. He will only do what fits His plan. However there are a couple of traditional interpretations of the �point� of prayers of petition. Firstly, because there are instances in the Bible when God changed his mind about doing something because he listened to the petitions of his followers. And secondly, as with the other forms of prayer, it is a way of concentrating our thoughts on what we want for ourselves, or others.
The whole issue of prayer is a problematic one, even for those of us who have a strong belief in God. Particularly when one considers the fact that so often, it seems anyway, our prayers go unanswered.
Finally, praying in the company of others increases one�s sense of belonging to a community, and underlines our collective wishes and desires.
Hope that helps.
The bottom line is..... prayer is not as simple as it seems. It is not a slot machine, a way to get whatever you want from God.