Undoubtedly, prayer requires a living faith in God. Heartfelt prayer steadies one's nerves, humbles one and clearly shows one the next step. Prayer starts without words and often ends without them. It knows its own evasions, its own infinite variety of dodges. It works some of the time in signs and symbols, lurches when it must, leaps when it can, has several kinds of logic at its disposal.
Prayer is the greatest spiritual asset in the world.
Prayer may be individual or communal, private or public. It may be offered in words, sigh, gestures or in silence. Prayer may flow from the subconscious. It may even emerge in dreams, completely bypassing waking awareness. Prayer is probably the world's most widely practiced visualization technique.