We keep praying because prayer is conversation with God! He wants us to share everything with Him – even our disappointments with prayers not being answered as we hoped!
When we ask the saints for their help and intercession, remember we are talking to our brothers and sisters. They, too, care deeply about us and remember the difficulty of our spiritual journey here on earth. They long to help us as well.
There are no prayers that are wasted. If the prayer has already been answered (for example, if you’re praying for someone’s conversion or for the release of a soul from purgatory), those prayers and intentions will be passed on to whoever needs them. You can’t outgive God!
We have to remember that God is outside of our idea of time, so He knows we are dealing with that restriction. I believe our perseverance, our faithfullness in prayer, and the relationship that is built through prayer are all very important.
St. Padre Pio was one day praying for a dead relative, of whom he had already received confirmation of this person’s release from purgatory. So, naturally the friend asked Padre Pio why he continued to pray for this relative. Padre Pio answered – their soul was released because God knew all the prayers that would be uttered from my lips until the day I die.
Sometimes I have periods where my prayers seem so dry and not very geniune. When I confessed this to my pastor, he said that God appreciates these prayers even more, because they are being done out of obedience and perseverance; not because we “feel” like it or we feel like we receive any benefit from it. The saints have also had these experiences.
Hope this helps!