'I pray for people in Ethiopia ... and I do have a best friend who's got eczema and it's irritating her and I pray it gets better.' Just like that 10-year-old, believers and unbelievers pray for extra power in times of difficulty. Each faith reveals its personality in the way requests are made. But perhaps God shouldn't intervene if our freedom matters. What's more, if help comes for some worthy cases, why not for others? Some find it helpful to think of prayer releasing what's in nature rather than calling in power from outside. In spite of the puzzles, asking comes naturally and people feel it helps.