In today's gospel we are told,
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
So is it just that God wants to hear us beg? I don't think that is the God we believe in. If we look at the Our Father I think we see why we need to pray.
Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come
In prayer we turn our hearts and minds away from this world. We turn away from ourselves and toward God,Heaven, the Kingdom.
Then all of the rest of the petitions the our Father have on common purpose, to change the path of our lives
doing the will of God
Receiving the bread of life
Forgiving and being forgiven
Avoiding temptation and evil
God does not need our prayer. God is perfect with or without our prayer.
God loves us and is always going to do what is best for us.
We need to pray, because we have a soul. And that soul's only happiness, only peace is found in oneness with God.
And our only true happiness is found when we are free to do the will of God.
Body and Soul in unison pointed in the same direction —the Kingdom of Heaven.
