Prayer works.

Almost all atheists pray.  Why?  They don't want to miss out on the blessing.  The trouble is that they still miss out on most of the blessing.  The only reason they miss out is because they are unwilling to admit that they need Jesus, and they don't really want to be set free from their sinful natures.  In other words, they want to do what they want to do rather than to yield to God's Spirit and have God start the work of causing them to become new creatures.

Here is the real question:

Why would a Christian miss out on the benefits of praying?