Spiritual confusion...

I am very pleased that many of the people in my life, or who have come into my life as of late, seem to be very spiritual and wise people. Many have commented on my blog and even more have emailed me personally. I am always thrilled to hear from anyone in either way.
Having said that, I will try to explain my spiritual confusion, in the hopes that I offend no one.
Years ago someone said to me, that the way a person views God, is often times much the way they view their earthly father. I always found that to be interesting. Where as, most people I know believe in one God, I think it is safe to say no two people truly perceive God in the same way. I would imagine that would be impossible, as every individual is different. Regardless of what we were each taught about the Lord, we are who we are, just as we think the way we think, largely because of our experiences in childhood. Often I have read scripture or heard in sermons about fearing God. I have never really feared 'my' God. Just as I never feared my earthly father. Don't get me wrong, growing up it never served me well to anger my father. However, if you don't count the years of my adolescent shenanigans, I have always viewed my father as very patient and kind. Certainly not a man to fear. And certainly a man to whom my best was always good enough.
I have no doubt that the Lord, as I view Him, doesn't expect me to do it all 'right' and that going to Him in prayer, in any way, pleases Him. He is loving and forgiving and kind. However, there are a few things as of late that I want so badly to be specific about in prayer. Such as, Presley's condition not worsening while she awaits her surgery as well as the valve in her heart to heal and be viable for surgery. But as I contemplate this for prayer, something very heavy has weighed upon me. If everything is God's will, if He already knows the outcome, if He has His plan in place...then why pray? I am not trying to be even the slightest bit cynical or sarcastic here. It is truly a spiritual dilemma I have had within myself. Why pray, or how should I pray? If God already knows His plan and knows Presley's outcome then is there hope for a specific prayer to be answered?
I hope I don't sound too dramatic. I never thought there would be a day when I questioned if I were praying the right way. But I also never thought my prayers would ever hold the magnitude in which they hold today. I wish my prayers still just consisted of 'taking the right job' or 'buying the right house', geez, those were the days...