Prayer: Talking WITH God

I've been thinking a lot about prayer lately. Of course, part of that is because we are in a series about prayer. As I "practice" the discipline of pausing, focusing and directing my thoughts and words to God I wonder...Do my prayers make a difference? If God doesn't answer my prayer in the way I desire, what went wrong? Does He even hear when I pray for the fires to subside in California, or for my friend's cancer to be healed, or for there to be peace in the Middle East? I am, after all, praying for good things.The Bible tells me that God is in control and that His purposes will prevail. "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it's God's purposes that prevail." (Proverbs 19:21)The Bible also tells me that I can pray for anything in Jesus name and God will answer it. "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13)So, what's the deal? I think it has to do with the fact that there is "so much more" that God has for us to experience when we engage with Him in prayer. That's what we'll be talking about this Sunday.