We often think of prayer as kneeling before God and beseeching his infinite wisdom. Although, if you take direct translations from the Hebrew bible (maybe even in some existing english bibles) prayer is in fact meditation, much as the buddhist have.
The concept is to clear your mind until you are in a state right before falling asleep, then you involuntarily release your thoughts, it is said that within this almost-dream state you can solve the most complicated problems in your life.
Since we ‘pray’ TO God, then could god not be the voice of reason in an individuals mind generally accepted to the public, could God not be that voice you here when you are truly engulfed in meditation which tells you the answer to your problems?
Not trying to turn Christianity to Buddhism, but you have to wonder… Perhaps heaven is in fact a state of nirvana or ‘enlightenment’ and death is the stepping stone. I’m not a christian but I do extensive research in all religions, and it strikes me that in more than 2000 years, perhaps we went down the wrong path of Christianity, the same principal as whispering something in someones ear and when it reaches the end of the line, the sentence has totally changed.
I theorize that prayer ultimately manifests in one’s consciousness / subconsciousness through the thoughts of whatever it is that one is praying for. Not trying to rule out god, but it makes sense to me. I’m supposing that those who pray in earnest will end up subconsciously pursuing those ends.
I don’t believe repeated phrases, such as the “Hail Mary”, can compare to the amazing results of self-introspection.
Prayer is a conversation, in your spirit, with another spirit, which can be God too.
To look back in history the word “pray” means literally to ask. For instance “pray tell” means “please tell me”. Commonly the word pray empasizes the importance of what you are asking. In many old stories in English Lit. people who are begging for something more often than not said “I pray of you” meaning that it it really important that what you are asking for be delivered. Pertaining to religion to pray to God means to ask him for what you want; usually this is for wisdom, forgiveness, strength of will, etc… In many individual’s cases their prayer to God IS when they get to a certain mental state in ehich their true feelings are put before the Lord and we ask him to pity us, a lowly human. Many times, thanksgiving (not the holiday) is included in prayer but to pray is literally to ask.
Whatever it may actually mean, most people, Christian or otherwise, takes prayer to mean asking - sombody or something - for whatever they want. But if prayer is a conversation, then as in any conversation, it is not only asking, it is also sharing, listening, discussing, exploring what-ifs, and even joking. 
Prayer is selling.
Of course the first one that has to be sold is the salesperson. 
The concept of prayer fascinates me. The most obvious thing about it is how ridiculous it appears. A person has a problem that’s bigger than they feel they can handle. So they stop all action and talk to it.
The only time we pray is when we need. It might be a need to express appreciation. But it still is about need.
I don’t which type of prayer is the most ludicrous, ritual, or spontaneous. Either one is the human expression of a canine rolling on it’s back and exposing it’s belly when intimidated.
Prayer is an amzing thing, no foolishnessness in following traditions. But I can see I am only getting Christian opinions (wether or not you like it). Some people don’t believe in God, and others don’t want to believe the concept of God is not as we think it is.
Have you considered that maybe non-christians wouldn’t go to this because it invloves christianity and they aren’t gonna go there.