Reminding Ourselves
Why do we ask Hashem in our prayers for the things that we desire? Is it merely a way to get Hashem to do our will? If it’s necessary, He’ll do it anyway, and if not, why would our prayers change anything? But the answer is that Hashem wants us to accomplish something in this world, and that is to change our minds, not His. When we ask, “Heal us, Hashem,” we are not reminding Hashem, rather we are reminding ourselves of the truth that only He is in charge of our fate. And that is the power of tefilah, not that Hashem is merely a Shomei’a Tefilah, but because we ourselves have changed, and that is the entire purpose.