What good is prayer?

What good is prayer? It makes you feel good. If that's what you're after, then prayer works.

I use meditation, in a non-Transcendental Meditation sort of way. I'll say silent affirmations or aspirations to put myself in the right frame of mind - calm, clear, refreshed, whatever. I know that directing prayers outwardly to others is, realistically, futile nonsense - but I can't help wanting to "want" the same things for others as I am silently aspiring to for myself. So, I do it. It's more generally expressing to the universe - space, time, matter and energy - the positive things that I hope for my loved ones.

I don't expect it to work, but I do it anyway.

Call it prayer, if you want. It doesn't bother me.