MANY Actual studies have been done, reputable double-blind ones, and they have conclusively shown that prayer has NO effect. Move on!

‘Prayers’ are obviously ‘wishes.’ If it’s in your mind, front & center, something you’re talking to others about … something’s bound to get done.. But it won’t have anything to do with an imaginary being, just ‘us.’

because there fucking idiots

They may honestly believe they have. Luck isnoften attributed to prayer.

I always tell those who push the issue; prayer and flipping a coin are about equal in their ability to change the final outcome. I often say “best wishes” which is simply the secular way of saying “I’ll pray for you” and again has just as much bearing on results.
But it makes believers feel they have some special control over things they don’t, so I suppose it gives them comfort. I take comfort in knowing that I don’t have control and just need to accept life as it comes, do what I can to affect the outcome and deal with the result.

It works at the same rate as chance or even worse. When people know they're being prayed for they can be less successful because they have more pressure to succeed. A form of performance anxiety.
When I hear about prayers being answered, it's never anything spectacular and always have a natural explanation. They've been tested too in hospitals, people who are prayed for, people who arent and people who are prayed for and knowntheyr being prayed for and that's when success rates drop as mentioned earlier. Absolutely no reason to think there's anything more than just wishful thinking

Prayer is really just hope attached to the belief that there is some guy in the sky that has control over things, and if you can make him happy enough, he will use that control to make you happy as well. As an example, if I were to apply for a new job that I really wanted and would be an improvement on my daily life, I would certainly hope that I would get it. But then, I have no use for a middle man, so rather than pray to some nonexistent God, I would put my energy toward preparing for the interview and doing whatever things I could to increase the chance I would get the job. If I get it, I get responsibility for the success. On the flipside, if I were a religious person facing the same scenario, I would be inclined to put my energy into praying that I would get the job, and then if I got it, I would see my prayer's being answered.

Confirmation bias.

I pray
Something (anything at all) happens
I interpret it as the answer to my prayer

To the believer bingo proof of god and the power of prayer

To anyone one else: Bollocks.

because they look for ANYTHING to be a sign and it confirms their hopes.