What aspect of prayer is the beneficial one?

It is my claim that prayer is not beneficial because of the entity you're praying to, but because of the act itself.

It is an act of humbleness, of reminding oneself that there are greater forces than want and need.

But could prayer be even more beneficial if we were to exclude the aspect of a higher entity from them? I think that would be meditation.

Any thoughts?

Cyracuz wrote:

It is my claim that prayer is not beneficial because of the entity you're praying to, but because of the act itself.

It is an act of humbleness, of reminding oneself that there are greater forces than want and need.

But could prayer be even more beneficial if we were to exclude the aspect of a higher entity from them? I think that would be meditation.

Any thoughts?

I think hope is what makes prayer beneficial. I think everyone needs hope. Though I'm certainly not implying that prayer is the only way to find it. The most angry, bitter, depressed, sad, people I have personally met have been those who have held no hope that their situation could change. So, most of the time it doesn't. Hope is a motivator. It helps someone to look outside of the current circumstance and see the possibility of something more. Something better.