Christians, how do you reply to atheists who tell you that prayer is a waste of time?

[2FollowHim]

As a Christian, what do you think about prayer?

What is your own experience in prayer?

Has it been a waste of time for you?

Or not?

If so, why so.

If not, why not?

NOTE: Atheists, Hi...I expect it is nonsense to you because it doesn't exist for you.
I put this because I've seen questions addressed to Christians on this.

 

[Sunshine]

I would tell them they shouldn't pray then.

It's not a waste of time for me, which is why I do it regularly.

 

[ThingyWalker]

Prayers are useless if you worship the wrong God... LOL

If you were adopted by a Muslim family at early childhood, would you be revolving around a
meteorite like they do in Kaaba, Mecca now, and laugh at Christians who think their god is triune?

OR JUST THE OPPOSITE

If you were adopted by a Christian family at early childhood, would you believe in a triune god and laugh at the Muslims who revolve around a meteorite in Kaaba, Mecca like the stone worshipers did before them??

 

[Loosey™]

Well it's my time to waste.

 

[TheJanitor]

I am an atheist, and of course I don't believe in prayer, but I do understand why people do it and think it works. It's easy to delude yourself that if what you prayed for came true, then it's god, but if it didn't come true, it wasn't in god's plan.

Plus prayer is the American way: laziness. Praying for someone takes no effort at all. It takes more effort for me to type this answer than to pray for something. So thinking that prayer actually does something is an easy way to fool yourself into thinking you have helped someone/something, when in reality you have done jack s**t.

 

[KingofHearts4]

Wishful thinking and selective attention don't make prayer 'real'. They just make it seem real.