Prayer: Is it worth a shot?

So, the forlorn sailor, stranded on some desert island, writes a letter describing his plight, puts it in a bottle, seals the bottle and then tosses the bottle into the sea in the hope that someone will find it and will come to rescue him. Who knows what will happen, but it's worth a shot.

I suspect that that image describes what prayer is for too many people. They pray about life but who knows if their pleas will be answered. Sometimes they are, but other times they aren't. Now, no one will actually say that their prayers are anything like this, but for so many this is exactly what they are.

But that can't be what prayer is about.

A better image would be a conversation. Two people talking. First, one says something and the other responds to that. Then, it's back to the first one to respond. Prayer is a conversation between the Father and one of His saints. And if there is a lull in the conversation - by either party - it is best to see that as a pause in the speaking because time is being given to thinking how best to respond. But both know that the conversation will be continued.