What Does Prayer Do?

What does prayer do
and how do we get it to?  

What is this spiritual force
we do as a matter of course?  

Where is the ear to hear
words breathed in silent fear?

And when the prayer is done,
how do we know we've won?

Must it take faith to pray,
certain to have God's way?

Or is it most a hope
we reach for just to cope?

When does the payoff come
and must we too pay some?

How can we make prayer last
without a little fast?

Does one small sacrifice
help prayer to make it nice?

Or is prayer just some wraith
that asks for just more faith?

Whatever prayer demands,
I leave, God, in Your hands.

    -- by Pete Voelz     2000