sermon on the mount --prayer as it is intended

For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
 
If God already knows what we need, why does He want us to ask Him for things in prayer?

When we pray, we are acknowledging that the things we receive come from God. By recognizing God as the source of all provision we give Him glory. This is a good arrangement: we learn humility and dependence, God receives glory. The problem, however, is that sometimes we think that the blessings we receive from God are somehow earned through our prayer--that God is won over by our many words or good argument. This is a bad arrangement: we develop arrogance and a false sense of self-sufficiency, God is not glorified.

Daniel