Prayer does not bring about or maintain a saving relationship

"It is also important to emphasize that although prayer in the Scriptures is rooted and grounded in God’s grace, prayer itself is not a means of grace.  By itself, prayer is not a practice by which we are brought into or maintained in a saving relationship with God.  To confuse prayer with the means of grace – to place it on par with the Word and Sacraments of Christ – undermines the very confidence that enables a prayerful response to our gracious God.  It risks confusion about the essential fact that salvation and Christian life are always dependent on God’s gracious initiative and His ongoing, sanctifying work… Prayer responds to the Gospel by seeking more and more of the Gospel’s gifts, and God answers these prayers by pouring out these gifts through the Gospel itself.” 
Theology and Practice of Prayer, A Report of the Commission on Theology and Practice of Prayer. November 2011.

"If you do these five things – go to church, go read, go pray, go work, and come home – your Christian life will be deepened.  That deepening won’t happen because of your works; it will happen because what I am encouraging you to do is to leave your self-made works aside and get more of Jesus’ Word and Sacraments into your life."    

-Rev. Heath Curtis, from his book, 5 Things You Can Do To Live a Jesus –Centered Life