When we pray, we need to plan our lives around the expectation that God will act. We organize our time around the basis that God cares. So, we help the person in need of healing, or we help their family. We pray, over and over again, in the knowledge of God's love, and in the expectation that God will act in the very best way possible in that situation. We pray at all times, whether we're ready to, or not.
Prayer is an expensive business.
It means spending time with another person. It means listening, and it means waiting in silence, when you don't know what words to say. It means lifting people up to God, and it means waiting patiently, waiting with that person, until it's time for God to act. Prayer means being utterly present for someone else. It means being where they are.