Disappointed by Prayer

What's the point of prayer in a world where humans are free to inflict pain and suffering on one another at will?

Where violators and victims send prayers up to the same God?

Why pray when prayer cannot stop a stray bullet from severing a spine or a drunk driver from swerving into oncoming traffic or prevent a child from being abused?

Is prayer nothing more than a panacea? A subtle way of tricking the brain into recovery and healing?

Is prayer simply thinking of someone or some thing in a hopeful way, rather than how they are or what the facts of the situation might actually be? Like a wishlist on Amazon that will never fully get fulfilled.

Do you really believe that through prayer God bends the laws of gravity and logic and common sense to provide you a front row parking spot at the mall or money on the ground that someone else was devastated to have lost?

Does prayer do anything but change the mindset of the pray-er or uplift the pray-ee in the act like an invisible Hallmark card?

Isn't prayer just a shot in the dark? A Magic 8 ball to the universe? A gamble you've convinced yourself might pay off this time like an addict at a horse track? A mystical game of Russian Roulette? A superstitution that sometimes works like a sports fan's lucky socks? A clever attempt to manipulate the divine? A speculative work of fiction?

And yet, despite countless disappointments and one-sided conversations and accumulated losses, my heart still hopes and believes and prays like it's possible something might change.