There are three assumptions that go with this:
There is a God to pray to.
God will hear your prayers and help you.
God will not break your free will by changing your mind, beliefs, and attitudes for you, BUT, if you ask for guidance, or contextualization related to the above, it will be granted, to help YOU change them.
If you adopt these assumptions, they will reveal themselves to you to be true.
Prayer for protection is also helpful, eg. "God, please protect me with a sphere of light, which only loving energy can pass through."
I have found that iterations are helpful when praying. There is often some kind of resistance that needs to be broken down.