God Is, and prayer works. It's just that the answers aren't always what you expect. Start simply: ask with an honest heart, and look for the answers. Faith in God isn't a one time, I-give-you-prayers-and-you-gibs-me-dats transactional agreement. It is a real relationship, with a real Person. And like any relationship, it takes interaction, time, and trust.
God Bless you, God be with you, and may He grant you the answers you need while opening your heart to see them.
Sure it does.
If the word "God" is a stumbling block, replace it with something like "that which I can't comprehend, but which comprehends me." Open your heart to that which is Good, that which is True, and that which is Beautiful. Ask for guidance from the unknowable but ultimate Good, and trust that you will receive. Take it from there.
I didn't get where I am without first believing in Nothing, and seeing just what that meant. Years later, I was granted a smidge of understanding. It's not easy to get from there to here, but it is so worthwhile.