Praying—to Whom?

Thinking about our “Prayers of the People” in the Book of Common Prayer which we intone every Sunday, I have a feeling of purpose and connection, and the strong possibility that God will honor the intentions of my heart when I pray for specific persons or situations. But when I pray [both with my fellow parishioners as the body of Christ and in my private prayers] for the good of communities, nations, and the world, or for “all” ministers, or “all” who care for the sick, etc, I often wonder how effective such blanket praying really is. Will God bless “all” the sick, the friendless, and the needy, or “all” the leaders of the nations? And even if, as I believe, the chief purpose of petitionary prayer is to align my will with his, how can I get my will around “all” these folks? I once heard a sermon on this subject; it has caused me to consider this question just about every time we pray for populations. I must admit I’m much more likely to focus my prayers. What about you?