Praying alone is not enough to bring us close to God. When you pray to get close to God, you will have to work it out yourself and get close to God. Of course, you can’t get close to God if you are not following His commandments. We have to commit ourselves and obey the will of God. Getting close to God is not what you do by proxy or by correspondence. You have to discipline yourself and obey the commandments of God. You can't choose your own ways and think that God will be pleased with you. No, every act of service to God or worship requires personal commitment.
A person who wants to receive something from God should pray. Prayer is good. It is the medium through which we communicate with God. We have to tell God what we want before He will grant our request.
But we should understand that when praying, the Bible has told us that we should put our faith to work. We should work. Working is what we must do to prove that we have faith. When you pray, don't lie down idle. Get up and work. Faith without work is dead.
James 2:18-20 (KJV) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?