For some Christians, prayer is ineffective and superfluous, yet a duty required by God. For others, prayer is a psychological tool to use throughout life, but doesn’t actually affect the the things that come to pass in the world. But when prayer is understood to be one element of God’s genuine love-relationship with us, the power of prayer starts to become evident. God gives us the ability to release divine power into the events of this world through prayer, thus bringing about real change in the events of this world.