laughed!

But Christians tell us they _know_ that prayer is efficacious. And
to them it may be so in some measure. Perhaps, if a man pray for
strength to resist temptation, or for guidance in time of perplexity,
and if he have _faith_, his prayer shall avail him something.

Why? Not because God will hear, or answer, but for two natural reasons.

First, the act of prayer is emotional, and so calms the man who prays,
for much of his excitement is worked off. It is so when a sick man
groans: it eases his pain. It is so when a woman weeps: it relieves
her overcharged heart.

Secondly, the act of prayer gives courage or confidence, in proportion
to the faith of him that prays. If a man has to cross a deep ravine
by a narrow plank, and if his heart fail him, and he prays for God's
help, believing that he will get it, he will walk his plank with
more confidence. If he prays for help against a temptation, he
is really appealing to his own better nature; he is rousing up his
dormant faculty of resistance and desire for righteousness, and
so rises from his knees in a sweeter and calmer frame of mind.

For myself, I never pray, and never feel the need of prayer. And
though I admit, as above, that it may have some present advantage,
yet I am inclined to think that it is bought too dearly at the
price of a decrease in our self-reliance. I do not think it is
good for a man to be always asking for help, for benefits, or for
pardon. It seems to me that such a habit must tend to weaken character.