But prayer’s vital role in the battle against desire goes far beyond just asking Hashem to help us. As mentioned, Hashem wants us to rely on His help because that fosters a relationship with Him. Besides for a relationship with Hashem being so enjoyable and sparking spiritual growth, it helps us fight better against impulses. A deep relationship with Hashem can be strong enough to stop us from giving in to our desires. It can even help us turn our lives around, even when nothing else affects us. And our acts of self-control will be much greater because we will control ourselves out of love. Thus, we want to use prayer to build a relationship with Hashem, as He intended when He created it and asked us to rely on Him.
Hashem empathizes with any pain we experience. He understands the confusion we feel when we are pulled in opposite directions by desire and morality. Hashem cares about us and about what we want. As our loving Father Whose sole desire is to give us the greatest experience possible, He considers us the most important matter in existence. It is with this understanding that we come to pray to Him. Remembering Hashem’s unconditional love unleashes a real relationship with Him. When we pray to Hashem with the knowledge that He really cares, these feelings ignite. We experience the sweetest feeling ever — a glimpse of Hashem’s love. Hashem really loves us! We are important in His eyes and He cares for us like a benevolent Father!
A great way to build your relationship with Hashem is to pray to Hashem in English at the end of the Shemoneh Esrei before you step back. Ask Him for whatever you want with the knowledge that He longs to give it to you because you want it, and that because He loves you, He will grant it if He deems it best for you. Talk to Him about everything in your life, because He cares about anything you care about. You can even talk openly about your struggles because He understands everything you struggle with. Hashem is empathetic and supportive. He never becomes fed up with you. He is your best friend and He is rooting for you to win! Teach yourself that Hashem loves you and your relationship with Him will take off.
Hashem values our prayers because we are significant in His eyes. Hashem cares about us, and He listens to our prayers because He wants to give to us. Our prayers work! They really make a difference.