> How does anyone know that any *prayers* actually work? (The prayers that are asking for something, that is. Of course not all prayers are requests.)

How does anyone know that prayers are answered is what I think you might mean. For, in order for prayers to "work," they must be answered. The answer comes either as a "yes," "no," or "not yet." But anyway, the way you know a prayer is answered is becaues the Bible says that God hears all prayers. If he hears your prayers, he's going to fulfill your request so that everything works out best for you in the end. Take, for instance, something that happened to my best friend today. He lost the Journalism class's camera, and he literally bowed his head and said a prayer aloud, asking God to please help him find it. He didn't find it. Now that doesn't mean Forrest's (my friend's) prayer didn't "work" or wasn't answered...it was. It was answered the way God knows is best. For some reason, possibly to teach Forrest a lesson about responsibility, God has chosen for the camera to not be found. The only way I can really answer what you said about knowing that a prayer "works" is because the Bible says so.

~Den-"not depressed today...HOOHA!"Kara