I have one question for everyone: how are you certain prayer does anything?
Discussion
In retrospect I can often see how a situation or series of events unfolded in such a way as to give me an opportunity to develop virtue, or have an important conversation, or learn something, and I see that as an answer to prayer.
Prayer doesn't always do anything, though, nor should it. It's simply communicating with God, and the most important part of that is aligning ourselves with what He wants for us.
Really entering into prayer requires one to develop a deep knowledge of self.
I disagree. Self is not at all required for prayer.
How do you pray Beave?
Poorly and not often enough.
Do you have any go-to practices? There is so much Christian tradition around prayer, there's a method for everyone.
No. I'm not an example anyone should follow.
I've heard St. Francis de Sales' "Introduction to the Devout Life" is an excellent manual for getting started in the spiritual life.
I always find structure to be super helpful in maintaining a habit of prayer, so praying with the Psalms or reading meditations and letting that guide my prayer time is super helpful.
I've seen some awesome, some would say miraculous, answers to prayer and heard of others from friends... But other prayers I prayed in desperation weren't answered the way I wanted them to be.
I'm also aware that there is a spiritual world, people are part spiritual being and we can observe the effects in the natural when things happen in the spiritual.