What Is The Point Of Prayer?

[Angrboda]

While it's easy to scoff, I think GC's answer likely hits the right notes. Religion is in some ways like the Wizard of Oz. You can ask yourself why the wizard is a big ugly head surrounded by flames, and what the big ugly head can do to you, but it might be more useful to understand the man behind the curtain instead. Theology is all about justification and reconciliation; it is an attempt to put a consistent, rational face on the particular story of a religion. That's one level, the public face of a religion. But the other level is the man behind the curtain; why do humans do these religious things as humans rather than as believers in this or that story. The God of Christianity is many things, but he is always one thing in addition to his powers and knowledge: He is a person. And we are a social species. We navigate our world by being social. Sometimes we talk to other people because we want something from them. Sometimes, we want them to assure and comfort us. Sometimes we just want to be heard. Talking to other persons is how humans solve the problems in their lives, and it is a natural instinct to be social. It only makes sense then, that if God is a real person to them, then they're going to talk to Him. And the way that you talk to this invisible person is through prayer.