In a prayer, I’m not forcing God.
I’m asking for something.
I’m expressing my need.
Sometimes, if you have a child who gets an allowance, and then the child asks for it at the wrong time, you may say, “No, I made a rule.”
But you may say, “OK, you’re asking. You seem to be desperate.”
It’s a taking into account of my need, and an expression of my need. I’m asking for mercy.
I’m saying, “Please, I just need an extra thing today.”
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz