[Mempho]

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If neither we nor God can interfere with free will, what good does prayer do other than alleviate our anxiety?

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Good question. Excellent. I think that people pray in order to hope that God puts the child in a situation in which the child can see more clearly. This might be even be a difficult situation. The child still has a choice to accept or reject, however. Most people go through a "rock bottom" of some sort during their lifetime...during which questions of purpose in life are asked. It is during these times that the true choices are made. For instance, a drug addict does not really "choose" to take drugs everyday. That is simply what the drug addict does. Normally, they don't even conciously think about the choice they have. When the drug addict gets arrested or almost dies, however, it puts them in the position to at least consider what they are doing and if they want to continue. Some drug addicts swear it off forever and some immediately go back for more drugs, aware of what they are doing. The times of choice are those "dark nights of the soul" that are brought on by an outside influence. In God's eyes, all you have to do is make the correct decision one time.