Prayer is not for the fulfillment of wishes.

I read the trilogy a few months ago, and I must say that one of the topics that has occupied me the most since then is prayer. You claimed that prayers today don’t really change reality. And it seems to me that you claimed that in the time of the Sages the situation was different, or that they thought it was beneficial, but in fact it is not.
I think it can be proven from the text that they did not place their hopes in prayers, both from the legendary and the practical aspects. Let’s start with the legendary – Blessings of the Heart: Rabbi Elazar said: From the day the Temple was destroyed, the gates of prayer were closed, as it is said: Even if I cry out and be saved, my prayer is over. Yes, indeed. And simple.
And also from the practical side, the Gm. Bar-Ha-Rah 16. brings a verse from the book of the Law when a person is sentenced – “All are sentenced on Rosh Hashanah, and their sentence is sealed on Yom Kippur, the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: All are sentenced on Rosh Hashanah, and their sentence is sealed, each and every one, at the time… Rabbi Yossi says: A person is sentenced every day…” And it is said by Rav Yosef – As for those who are saved, shall I shorten them and make them? As for those – as for Rabbi Yossi. And Ivayit Ima: Forever as for our rabbis, and as for Rabbi Yitzchak. Rabbi Yitzchak said: A cry is good for a person, whether before the sentence or after the sentence. Yes, indeed.
From this we see that although Rabbi Yosef knew that the members of the Great Knesset had fixed 3 prayers for us, he did not ask about the 18th prayer, as the one-time prayer of the Idna. Rather, he asked about the private, one-time requests. The brief and the lengthy. And there are two explanations for this, either a person is judged every day and in any case his fate has not yet been determined (because if it has already been determined, it is a false prayer, as the blessings of the rabbis). Or even if his fate has already been determined, there is still a chance to change the decree. Hence, the prayer that the members of the HaNaga established was not intended for the fulfillment of the wishes mentioned there.
Various hypotheses can be put forward as to what this prayer is. I don’t currently have a hypothesis that I’m convinced is the reason why we pray, but I think there is strong enough evidence to say that it is not for the fulfillment of wishes.