I was thinking about this today and I found a interesting thought in my mind that I thought would be worth considering here. I should start off by saying that I do not think prayers to God are answered, as it is like making a call to a wrong number. However, I do think you can fool yourself into thinking they are, in the following way.
Let's say you pray over and over asking for this and that and that. You feel that is something you need or want and you pray with all your heart for it. Nothing happens and soon your praying for something else, again nothing happens. Then you pray again, and by chance something happens. Rather then seeing the items that never happened, you see the items that do and you build your faith and say God answered your prayer. Rather then understanding the odds, that if you ask for enough things time and time again, your bound to have one happen and that is not proof of prayer, but rather proof of the power of "chance." Basically, if you roll the dice and say it will show six, if you roll enough ... your will get a six. This does not mean you have ESP.
Wait, I hear the thought already, "sometimes God knows better then us and knows what we need." That is a wonderful excuse, as it allows you to excuse the fact that your prayers are not being answered, and yet still have faith. In reality though, your just making a conscience excuse for a subconscious doubt surfacing.
This is why, prayer, no matter what religion you belong to, will always have a percentage of success.
Prayer though does have another power that has nothing to do with god and actually evolved from early form of Pagan practices that actually had more meaning with how it affected you and your subconscious self and connection to all life. When it became about some higher God being, it became less powerful and for personal change and became more about putting everything upon a mythological God that evolved out of Mediterranean legends.
The lack of logic in prayer ...
"If God knows everything about you, why does he not hear prayer without the magic "AMEN" word"
"If everything is "in Jesus name" then why would God not know this every time and require that your keep reminding him"
"If God knows your needs, without prayer, why pray?"
"If you pray out loud, doesn't the Devil hear you too and if so, isn't that like aiding information to the enemy?"
... can you think of more, pray about it first.