Certainly if you are pleading for the end to violence, the healing of others, or the elimination of world hunger, it is justifiable. Through prayer the Christian can find peace, forgiveness for his sins, and strength from God through His Spirit. Once when Jesus had been out praying, one of his disciples came to him as he finished and said Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus is teaching us to apply four principles that are essential for developing a prayer life that will be rich with meaning, joy, and intimacy in communicating with the Lord, our God and Savior. Those four principles of prayer power are praise, petition, promise, and power.
Prayer starts with praise.
In praise we focus on who God is. We recognize His character. He is our Father in heaven, not limited by any earthly shortcomings. After we recognize and realize that we are approaching the awesome Creator God, we state our petitions. After we have stated our petitions, we claim the very promises of God as found in Scripture.