I think prayer works but I also think that to many people want to isolate certain verses from systematic theology. I also believe many confuse prayer for the events found in the gospel when Jesus still walked the earth and when the apostles were still here and could lay their hands on anyone and heal them instantly. But Jesus is not here on this earth anymore and all the apostles , as in the handful chosen by God and giving the ability to lay on hands, are dead. So all of that is over.
I also think that people forget often the stipulation of “ in his will”. You can’t pray for something beyond the will of God.
People also forget to look at how closely knitted the communities were back then. Many nowadays try to be this mythological “lone Wolf Christian” that does not actively share their faith, they are not in fellowship with their local disciples, and they are not making scarifies in their lives. They try to use God as a genie. When we read through the scriptures you don’t see a lot of actual “me me me” prayers where someone predominantly prays for their needs. We are told to not even worry about that because our father knows we need them. We don’t pray to God for answers that are already in the Bible. Like if you fall in love with a unbeliever , praying to God for a sign on if the marriage is ok or not want go anywhere because scripture already answers it. You pray for guidance and meditate on his word. What we do see in the Bible is that we are to pray for others. You see them praying for others the majority of time. Praying for their well being, their faithfulness, and for gods grace and mercy.
The Bible lines out the prayers.
Matthew 6:9-15
New American Standard Bible
The Lord’s Prayer
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
- we pray for his will to be done.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
- us here is not for the individual. It’s not pray for my bread but pray for our bread. It’s praying for the well being of Christians collectively.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’
14 For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.
Each of these lines we see also requires action. We ask for to be given his grace and mercy and in return it requires us to forgive others.
We also can’t pray as a test/sign as in Mark 8:12.
The last thing many forget is that God answers the prayers of those what are his.
John 15:7 mentions if we abide in him and we are living testaments to his words he will answer our prayers.
In Isaiah 59:1-2 and John 9:31we see that God does not listen to wicked people. He chooses to not hear them.
So when we get all the scripture on prayer it helps us to keep the easier to misunderstand verses in their proper context.