What does Guru Granth Sahib Ji say about prayers, or is there truly a concept of prayers in Sikhism? Also, what are your personal views on prayers?

Here is your answer. Meaning of prayer.
Prayer means a request, an appeal, communication or petition before God. Humans perform millions of prayer every day. All our prayers are addressed to God, Every faith has different ways to please God through prayer. Two things are fundamentally common in every prayer.
1 Prayers are before external deity, God that is outside the humanity , has supernatural powers, omnipotent and can do anything and everything for us on demand.
2 All our prayers are for outer or external purpose because our God is external.
Common demands in our prayers include
1 When there is drought we pray for rain.
2 We pray for safe journey.
3 We pray for victory in the elections and court case.
4 Business success.
5 Cure of disease.
6 Gift of son.
7 University admission of child.
8 Gratitude for everything God has given us.
All these prayers are the reflection of the concept of God , image of God in our mind. Because God is omnipotent or all mighty and can perform miracles in violation of the laws of nature, God we believe answer every prayer. This is based on our belief system that is thousands years old. Even though humans have intellectually advanced so much to be able to land on the moon, our belief what is God we worship has not changed.

In the age of scientific and technological advances youth of today no longer accept unquestioned obedience to religious dogmas. They demand logic, reason and facts in religious discourse. Today we find that God we worshiped for thousands years is failing to answer our payers. God is failing to bring rain upon prayer, cure our disease, protect us from hurricane or give gift of son. Our faith in God today is drastically waned. There is no living connection with God. Unbelief is rising. Questioned are raised as to very existence of God. Youth of today is walking away from faith. Fact of the matter is we are becoming less human. Who do we then pray for spiritual security and salvation.? Where we go from here.
Guru Nanak (1469—1539) in Sikh scriptures ( AAD GURU GRANTH SAHIB) says BIRTHEE KADE NA HOWAEE JAN KI ARDAS, meaning the prayer of spiritually awakened follower is always answered. How do Nanak claim that. What is that God Nanak pray to. Nanak says God is one universal truth, one reality. God is SHABAD GURU, BANI GURU meaning God is divine wisdom, knowledge, intellect, God is treasure of virtues, God is embodiment of laws of. nature, will of God, HUQAM , BHANNA. God has no size, shape or color. God does not take human form. Most importantly God is not external, outside the humanity. God is within all of us, a divine spark of enlightenment that is our true nature, our true self. When we understand this concept of God of Nanak the meaning of prayer completely change. We find true meaning of prayer. Prayer has nothing to do with outer purpose, material world. Prayer has everything to do with internal purpose, realizing our true nature, conscious transformation. Path to happiness, peace and joy is inward.
Prayer then is communication, a dialogue with God that is within. Prayer is then communication with myself, a commitment with myself ,to inspire myself. It is about my commitment for spiritual awakening, finding my true nature, who am I. It is about surrendering to God within, saying that I had enough of this egoistic miserable life, life full of worries, anxiety, stress, depression. It is my commitment to walk the spiritual journey. Guru says WINN TUDH HOR JE MANGNA SIRR DUKHAN KAI DUKH meaning God my only request to you is for divine wisdom, knowledge, godly virtues and learn to live in the present, find meaning of life. Guru says cause of our life pains is that we continue praying for worldly comforts, outer purpose.
It is not that we do not have desires for worldly comforts and conveniences . We do not have desire for business success. These are not priorities of life. But out of fear, ignorance and superstitious beliefs we continue prayers for outer purpose, material things. We are so stuck in our belief systems that is thousands years old we are not prepared to make the shift from outer purpose , from external deity to inner purpose, inner God.

Prayer is not a one way communication. When we go to places of worship we have list of demands to be passed on to the priest so that he may pass these to God. It is all about external purpose. Nanak says HAU TUMREE KARAU NIT AAS PRABH MOHAI KAB GAL LAWAINGAI meaning O God I have only one desire, give me gift of divine wisdom, knowledge so that I can realize my true self, my true nature here and now. But that is not what we pray for when visit GURDWARA, TEMPLE, MOSQUE OR CHURCH. Nanak says AISA JAG WEHKIA JUARI SABH SUKH MANGAI NAAM VISARI meaning that the sad story of human race is we desire more and more material wealth, comforts and conveniences of life . That is what we pray for. Spiritual awakening is not even our goal. Craving for more and more is the objective. Realizing who am I, my true self is not what we pray for. There is not a single hymn in Sikh Scriptures ( AGGS) where Nanak prayed for material things. Nanak prayed EK SHABAD IK BHIKHIA MANGAI meaning my prayer is only for divine wisdom, divine knowledge so that I can find meaning of life.
Sikh Nation pray million times a day SIKHAN NU SIKHI DAAN NAAM DAAN meaning God give us wisdom to live truthful life, life guided by teachings of Gurbani. Hardly one percent live according to teachings of Gurbani. As I discussed before Nanak says BIRTHEE KADE NA HOWAEE JAN KI ARDAS meaning God answer every prayer. Where is the problem. Our prayer is a one way communication, it is not a commitment with God within, commitment with myself to be SACHIARA a person of compassion, kindness, tolerance, humility, unconditional love. As Sikhs we make serious mistake praying to God if God is an external deity, sky God, OOPARWALA. Worst our prayers are for external purposes. Nanak says SAT SANTOKH HOWAI ARDAS TA SUNN SAD BAHALAI PAS meaning God give me wisdom to realize meaning of life, find my true self, truthful living, live life of contentment, non attachment to material world, identified with form. When this is my communication with God within and is my commitment with myself my prayer will certainly be answered. My life will change. I will be at peace with me. Nanak further says NANAK BIRTHA KOE NA HOE ASEE DARGAH SACHA SOE meaning when we pray for divine wisdom, knowledge, godly virtues, living the will of God and we have commitment to follow through our prayer is always answered . We are never disappointed. Nanak says WINN TUD HOR JE MANGNA SIRR DUKHAN KAI DUKH meaning our pain, suffering , worries, stress and anxieties begin when we pray for external, outer purposes and do not pray for inner change, conscious transformation.
When I visit Gurdwara on Sunday I commonly here this hymn JO MANGAI THAKUR APNE TE SOEE SOEE DEWAI meaning upon prayer God fulfill all your worldly desires. Then there is long list of demands from members of congregation. Focus is never on inner change, conscious transformation. Then I hear a complete misinterpretation of hymn by Saint Dhannaji to justify that God fulfil worldly desires, hymn that is in AGGS. GHAR KEE GIHAN CHANGI JAN DHANNA LAVAI MANGI literal meaning Saint Dhanna asked God to give him beautiful and homely wife. God obliged him with such a wife. Real meaning of GHAR KEE GIHAN is divine wisdom, divine knowledge. Irony is that praying for worldly things is against basic spiritual doctrine of AGGS. This is going on for years in every faith.
The relevance of prayer and religion in our daily life is how to be a good human, find meaning of life, realize who am I, be spiritually enlightened. It is about finding peace , happiness, joy in life, live life free of worries, anxiety, stress and depression. This can only happen when we focus our prayer on inner change, inner purpose. Pray for divine wisdom, knowledge, be a person of godly virtues, person of compassion, humility, kindness, tolerance, concern for others and unconditional love. When we learn to live the way of surrender to will of God. When we are ocean of happiness and spread happiness around, ocean of pleasantness and spread pleasantness all around . We have found the meaning of prayer.