Do Christians believe in prayer despite the evidence that it’s ineffective?

VJack of Atheist Revolution makes a number of assumptions about a Christian’s view of intercessory prayer that really don’t support the facts:

The Utah mine collapse is all over the news. Several broadcasts show local residents displaying large banners that say something like "pray for the miners." When I see such signs, a question never fails to pop into my mind: Why? Of course, we're all hoping that they'll find the miners unharmed, but why would anyone call for prayer when there is clear evidence that intercessory prayer is ineffective?

Of course, many believers find evidence completely irrelevant. They believe because their parents believed, and they've never really questioned it. They believe because they are rewarded by their communities for doing so. Most of all, they believe based on faith, precluding the use of reason or evidence.

Is prayer effective? Are we just blindly praying because our parents taught us to pray or because of blind faith? We have no evidence that prayer works yet we do it anyway.

But there is something missing from these assumptions: God. Prayer is not some entity that is effective or not on its own. We pray to a sovereign God who is in control and who does not bend to our will. We come to him in supplication knowing that he is a just and loving God and will answer our prayers the way that he will. We may not understand it completely but we don’t trust him blindly or in a leap of faith. We trust him because we know who he is and what he’s done in the past, not only in the life of those recorded in the Bible but in our own life as well. We see that he is faithful and that he has done what he promised to do. Over and over again people go to God in supplication and he responded to their requests. He sometimes answered the prayers that were asked and sometimes he answered them in an unexpected way. We understand that he isn’t our genie and will answer prayers the way that fits his will.

Not only do we have the evidence of the Bible we have our own experience as antidotal anecdotal evidence that God does answer prayer. I could give you a whole list of times that I prayed to God and he listened and responded. I’m sure many of our readers would say the same thing. Studies prove nothing because God isn’t our lab rat who will perform on our command. He isn’t going to answer prayer to prove himself. He doesn’t have to because the proof is in his word and in the life of his people.

Update: Sheesh people! Could you let me know when I use the wrong word?