I think it might have something to do with my not believing in magic. Prayers like your example resemble magical spells. I donot necessarily think that i can influence some higher power with words. I think actions speak louder than words and spells are best used on one-selves, rather than other entities, whatever they are.
Then, i wasnt raised with prayer so i guess i just dont get it.
So many interesting thoughts in your post. I was not raised with magic and I have struggled to understand the concept. What I have come to accept is that all belief systems (Masonry included) have an inner and an outer teaching. There are many good and practical reasons for this. Those in the inner circle understand that gaining access to higher levels of development requires one to understand and work the process. Those in the outer circle do not understand what is required and therefore cannot do the work. To those in the outer circle attaining the higher levels of development will always look like magic. If you are saying that the description those in the outer circle have of magic seems inaccurate, I agree with you it is. But the ability to do things that other people find impossible (and therefore believe are magic) is mostly a matter of having knowledge that they do not have.
Prayers do resemble magical spells, I agree. Where we may disagree is that I believe that both create an actual effect in the real world. (I am using the term "real world" here in a fairly liberal sense) While they may not effect the objective world, I would argue that both have an effect on the subjective world. And since thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are all subjective, effecting my subjective world has a huge effect on my behavior. And my behavior has a huge effect on my objective world.
I get it that my description of magic does not match how most people describe and think of magic. Let me just say that learning to discard the definitions that I was taught as a child and ask myself what spiritual terms actually mean to me has been a big part of my spiritual growth. "When I was a child I spoke as a child, when I became a man I put away childish things"