You don't need "religion" to know God. He didn't create religions, humans did.
The Bible is a great help....religion only leads to confusion IMO.
Acts of the Apostles 17:24-27 says....
"The God that made the world and all the things in it, being, as he is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples; 25 nor is he served by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all people life and breath and all things and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of the dwelling of men, for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us.”
I always found that comforting. If we genuinely seek him, he is nearer than we think.
That is the only kind of prayer that God hears. There is no formal way to pray....its a conversation with a trusted friend...someone to pour your heart out to. God would rather hear a few humble words from the heart than endless repeating of words mindlessly by rote.
Jesus taught us to pray, if you know the Lord's Prayer? But he never said "pray this prayer", but "pray this way"....meaning that he gave us the subjects in order of priority. A model for our own prayers when we don't know what to say, or where to begin.
He said...
"6 But when you pray, go into your private room and, after shutting your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. 7 When praying, do not say the same things over and over again as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. 8 So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.
9 “You must pray, then, this way:
“‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. 11 Give us today our bread for this day; 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.’
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 whereas if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:6-14)
If you read it carefully and understand the words correctly, you will see that God's name is first on that list.....then the coming of his Kingdom where God's will can then "be done on earth as it is in heaven".
Its OK to ask for sustenance, but just for that day. Jesus always taught us to take one day at a time.
He went on to say...
"So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness." (Matthew 6:34)
And he said to be forgiving.....which is so lacking in loveless hearts today. Temptations abound in this world and all of them are designed to separate us from God by our own actions. We can control them if we want to. Follow Christ's teaching in all things and you can't go wrong.
We can certainly pray for one another, but what we expect from those prayers can vary because of the expectations of some who think of God like some kind of genie who is only there to grant wishes. That is not what prayer is for. Prayer shows God what is in our heart. He isn't there to ask for miracles.
Prayer is a communication of the most intimate kind, if God is seen as a loving and trusted friend. He knows what we need before we ask, so what is the point you might wonder? It shows him our reliance on him and our trust that he will provide what we need, rather than what we want.
Its a good thing to acknowledge the plight of the poor and the distressed. This world is not kind for those who have need to rely on others. But have you ever wondered why we are in this situation in the first place? If God had the power to create the universe and all that is in it....why do we live in a world where love is disappearing and wicked people are making life miserable for everyone else? Why doesn't he exercise his power to rid the world of evil? Why is there so much suffering and hardship?
The Bible answers all those hard questions. Happy to help you answer them....