It depends on how we pray, and how we choose to measure the efficacy of that prayer; does prayer heal, does it change us as people, does it confer social benefits, or does it bring about precisely that which we pray for?

Does prayer bring about precisely what is being prayed for?

• To answer this, we would have to delve into a deeper discussion on whether the agent of prayer exists, how they are expected to interpret a request, and what manner of request they would be likely to fulfill. Answering these questions would provide a metric for the efficacy of prayer.

Does prayer change us as people?
Let's assume that any change can indicate that prayer 'worked'.

• Prayer demands diligence and concentration which, when practiced regularly, can alter the very structure and wiring of our neural connections to improve our capacity to focus. This phenomenon, known as 'neuroplasticity', is possible by virtue of the brain's ability to be molded and shaped in accordance with the activities it practices - just as one might train their muscles.
• Prayer, intercession, and thanksgiving often inculcate positive values, such as humility, respect, and empathy. Regularly engaging in thoughts of this nature can work to heighten one's compassion and subdue negative outbursts.

Does prayer heal?

• Prayer has not been empirically shown to improve one's health, though the ability to conclusively measure this is also subject to debate - for example, those who pray are often already experiencing hardships and, when compared to those who do not pray, are more likely to demonstrate higher levels of stress and other evidences of negative experiences.
• To make matters more complicated, even intercessory prayer (praying for the benefit of another) has demonstrated mixed results in its effects on the person being prayed for. Benson et al. (2006) found that heart patients who were aware that they were being prayed for experienced greater complications. On the other hand, a review by Hodge (2007) found that subjects of prayer experienced minor health benefits. It is also worth noting that studies of these kinds are predominantly correlational, and cannot provide insight into whether prayer was a primary causational factor.
• At the same time, there are claims to the benefit of prayer on mental health. This study showed that "participants receiving the prayer intervention showed significant improvement of depression and anxiety."

Does prayer bring about social benefits?

• Fincham (2017) demonstrated that an individual who prays for the health of their significant other during a rough patch in their relationship is likely to express greater relationship satisfaction.
• Prayer can arguably bring people together, though this may be a facet of religion itself and its community-building effects.

The efficacy of prayer is also contingent on the nature of the prayer itself. Prayer that involves an antagonistic approach to relating to a higher power (typically a god), in which one directs anger, blame, and/or frustration is less likely to yield the benefits of a prayer that involves a more productive, collaborative approach to relating with the figure.

With this variety of evidence in numerous directions, it appears as though this claim needs to be more concretely defined before it can be evaluated and, in the case of some definitions, more research may be required for a consensus.

Intercessory prayer has been tested scientifically. This is a trivial subject. The fact that prayer does not work is no longer a matter of opinion, and hasn't been for a very long time.

Now, does meditation/reflection help us? Yes. Does prayer help us meditate/reflect? Yes. But the question is if PRAYER works... no one's rejecting the validity of the placebo effect; That's not the question.

The act of prayer, whilst fundamentally rooted in a belief in god and talking to a higher power, also provides additional benefits outside of a Christian context.

• Retired paediatrician Peter Boelens used prayer to cure people suffering from depression and anxiety. After a six-week study with 27 men and women, the participants who once satisfied the DSM criteria for depression had reported that their depression and anxiety had reduced. No medication or therapy was used in the study, simply instances of collective prayer. This evidently shows the positive effect of prayer.
• Prayer has often been linked to meditation in that they share similar benefits. Some of the physical and mental benefits are as follows:
  The activity of your brain moves from the right frontal cortex (where stress lives) to the calm left frontal cortex.
  Greater creativity
  Improved learning and memory,
  Increased happiness and emotional stability.
  Spending some time in personal reflection means you’ll gain greater wisdom of your mission in this life.
  Greater appreciation of all that you’ve been given, both good and bad.
  Helps banish those negative thoughts that threaten your peace of mind.
  Anti-ageing
  Decreased blood pressure
  Higher skin resistance
  Easier breathing.
• From a religious perspective, prayer and an underlying belief in God provides one with a sense of comfort. Comfort in the belief there is a higher power who is listening and answering your prayers. When an individual is going through especially troubling and turbulent times, resulting in acts prayer may prove helpful. We are all contingent beings who lack the power to change or fix momentous things. Directly talking to someone we believe can do this, therefore, brings a positive effect.

Prayers occur frequently, miracles do not.

• 93% of the world is religious. This means that people pray to their religious beliefs frequently, if not daily. That is a lot of prayers, and probably not a lot of consequences of the problems being prayed about.
• As an atheist myself, I am in no position to say what people pray about. Although, I am going to assume that when asking for miracles, prayers are not rewarded. Miracles hardly ever happen, and if they do, it can usually be explained by science or coincidence.
• Prayers and miracles do not add up, praying does not result in results. Results are made by choices and actions in our everyday lives.