Prayer changes things
There is a great story in 1Kings 17 where the prophet Elijah prays for a dead son and he comes back to life. It is amazing that God will answer bold prayers. Elijah also prayed on Mt Carmel that fire would come from heaven and burn up the sacrifices. Fire did in fact come from heaven and burned up the sacrifices and the surrounding water. One of the main ingredients for God to answer prayer is having a closing relationship with God and praying to him in earnest. The closer we get to the Lord, the more we understand and know what he wants from us. We tend to have a self centered relationship with God where we are asking for things that we want instead of asking him what he wants from us. There is a scripture that says he will give us the desires of our hearts (Ps 37:4), but the closer we get to him and obey his commands, the more we will line up with what God wants from us. This will result in having a prayer life that truly changes the circumstances that we face. It is ultimately, a walk of faith and trust, that pleases the Lord.