= new reply since forum marked as read
Successful prayer is not a prayer that is "well crafted" but a prayer that is from the heart and simple, such as "God, please help me with the problem I am having."
The Pope is asking for prayers of strength so that he can do what he needs to do as Pope. When "believers" pray, it is common to pray for leaders, such as our President, our Congressmen and our Senators, although none for them are needy in the material sense. Our Leaders need our prayers so that they will be good, honest leaders and resist the temptations they may have.
When a "believer" prays, many times prayers are said for our leaders and they are intermingled with prayers for the poor, those in war torn countries, those who are ill, those who are lonely, and for our soldiers to return safely.
For those who pray sincerely, it IS a dilemma as to who or what to pray for first! 
This week, I will start out my prayers with a prayer for YOUR special concerns.
May you have a good and fulfilling life.
for what he "needs", and cut out the middleman. God does answer ALL prayers, right? Unless god counts noses in deciding which prayers to answer (or should I say, which prayers to answer "yes" and which prayers to answer "no"
. I guess he must, if some people are praying for the field goal to be good, and some people are praying for it to be wide.
Of course, you'd think god could just figure out what needs doing and take care of it himself, unless he really likes the sound of people begging him for stuff.
