People may abandon prayer because they envision a perfect prayer, a brightly radiant prayer. Even though this abandonment is a great loss, when that bright prayer does arrive, it restores the entire loss. This is so in regard to an individual or the community: the entire congregation of Israel.
Prayer will come to the people of Israel. It will come in a very bright form, a form that flows from the midst of the entirety of its soul, from the midst of its inner awareness, from the midst of its view of the world, and from the midst of all its influence upon the world in the past, present and future.
When that prayer of the people of Israel comes, the entire world will be astonished at its glory and splendor, its strength and grace. It will come from the midst of that perfect will that makes the entire world one bloc of holiness, that turns all of life into one chapter of supernal song, a new song, a song of Hashem upon the land of Israel, a song of Zion redeemed and filled with eternal redemption.
Involving ourselves in Perek Shirah—the song of all creation—is the foundation of the service of wisdom, a service filled with eternal life, flowing directly from an immediate union between the human and all existence. This is the precursor to the standard service of God, which comes to humanity by means of the Torah.
Orot Hakodesh III, p. 227
אמר רב יהודה אמר רב ארבעה צריכין להודות יורדי הים הולכי מדברות ומי שהיה חולה ונתרפא ומי שהיה חבוש בבית האסורים ויצא
Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Four people need to offer Thanksgiving: Those who travel across the sea, who cross the wilderness, who were sick and recovered, and were imprisoned and released.
The Gemara asks: What blessing does one recite? Rav Yehuda said: Blessed is The One Who bestows acts of loving-kindness. Abaye said: And one must offer thanks before ten people, as it is written in the same chapter: “Let them exalt God also in the congregation of the people and praise God in the assembly of the elders” (Psalms 107:32), and congregation indicates a group of at least ten. Mar Zutra said: Two of them must be Sages, as it is stated there: “And praise God in the assembly of elders.” These elders are the Sages, and the use of the plural indicates a minimum of two.
...וכיצד מברך עומד ביניהן ומברך ברוך אתה יקוק' אלהינו מלך העולם הגומל לחייבים טובות שגמלני כל טוב וכל השומעין אומרים שגמלך טוב הוא יגמלך סלה.
How is it that one blesses? One stands amongst them and blesses: Blessed are you, God, our God, Ruler of the universe, who gives to the culpable good, and who has given me all good.
All who hear say: As God has given you good, God should give you, selah.
(ד) נמצאו כל הברכות כולן שלשה מינים ברכות הנייה וברכות מצות וברכות הודאה שהן דרך שבח והודיה ובקשה כדי לזכור את הבורא תמיד וליראה ממנו.
(4) So it is that there are three forms of blessing: blessing for deriving benefit, blessing for fulfilling a mitzvah, and blessing of thanks. Expressions of praise and gratitude and requests in order to remember the Creator always and to fear Him.
.והנכנס להקיז דם אומר: "יהי רצון... שיהא עסק זה לי לרפואה, כי רופא חנם אתה", ולאחר שהקיז יאמר: "ברוך רופא חולים"... ולעולם יהא אדם רגיל לומר: "כל מה דעביד רחמנא - לטב עביד". כללו של דבר: לעולם יתפלל אדם על העתיד ויבקש רחמים מלפניו יתברך ויתן הודאה על העבר, ויודה וישבח כפי כחו...
The one who goes in to have blood drawn should say: May it be Your will, God, that doing this should lead to my healing, for a free healer You are. After the blood has been drawn one should say: Blessed is the one who heals the sick... Always a person should be accustomed to saying: Everything that The Merciful One does- is done for for the good. The general teaching that can be derived from this is: Always a person should pray for the future and ask for compassion from God Who Is Blessed and give thanks on the past. One must give thanks and praise according to their strength...
(ז) וישכח חטאת חברו וימחל לו, וישכח מלבו שנאה וקנאה והירהורים רעים. ובעת התפילה ישכח מלבו כל דבר שבעולם, אך יעלה במחשבתו חסד השם יתברך, וידבק בו בדבקות גדולה.
One forgets the sin of their friend and forgives them, and one forgets from their heart hate and jealousy, and the bad murmurings. At the time of prayer one forgets from their heart everything that is in the world, one only thinks of the kindness of God Who Is Blessed, and cleaves to God with great closeness.
(9) On every side the wicked walk around when baseness is exalted among men.
The Kabbalists distinguished between two realms in the universe: the realm of Circles, and the realm of Straight Lines.
The natural world is a world of Circles. The heavenly bodies are spherical, rotating and revolving in space. In this view of reality, there is no right or wrong; just constant, eternal movement along the never-ending cycles and gears of natural processes.
The purpose of the world, however, is its moral and spiritual progress. When we recognize this inner direction, we are perceiving the realm of Straight Lines. When we use our free will to choose the correct path, we gain perfection for ourselves and for the entire universe. The realm of Straight Lines is the inner reality of linear progression, of right and wrong, of purpose and meaning.
The Talmud (Berachot 6b) explains that this verse is specifically referring to prayer. Prayer is a wonderful, exalted gift. Many, however, belittle and even ridicule the value of prayer. Why is prayer not properly appreciated? Because people perceive the world through the viewpoint of Circles. They only see the continual, unchanging, and amoral aspect of the universe. In a world ruled by the laws of nature, what good is prayer? Can prayer change God’s Will? Why should praying influence the outcome of natural processes?
That is why the psalm describes the wicked as “walking around.” They follow the cycles of the natural world, perceiving the universe as a harsh reality of unforgiving laws of nature and immutable fate.
But the enlightened are able to discern the realm of Straight Lines within reality. They sense the world’s inner purpose and moral direction. They realize that we are meant to advance the goal of universal perfection through proper application of our powers of free choice.
With this outlook on the world, the efficacy of prayer is clear. Prayer is highly effective in refining our desires and directing our choices. It is an integral part of the purposeful world of Straight Lines.
(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, p. 26 by Rav Kook)