A Ritual-based or a Divine Relationship-based?

When I'm a student, I was invited by a non-christian friend to have a dinner with his family. The combination of sincere welcome, friendship bonding and empty stomach make it hard for me to resisted such an opportunity. 
But before we headed toward his parent's home, he drives to the nearby house of prayer and asked me to wait for him for awhile. He said, 
"Sorry bro, it's time for me to pray, can you wait for me here."
"Can I come with you?", I asked. 
"Okay, come." 
He allowed me to come with him. He was fully aware that I know what to do and what not to do in the house of prayer, so he said, "Come."
From a distance, I watched as he went through few ritual things to do before praying. Then, facing toward certain place, he bowed repeatedly on his little area. His lips moved continuously. 
When he finished, I asked him the meaning of his prayers.
Honestly, softly and politely he replied, "I really don't know."
He said that all this while, he had disciplined himself to pray certain times a day, he was merely repeating words he had learned as a child... in a language he didn't understand. I knew that after he finished telling me all these - He was not conscious of having any relationship with God. Prayer is not a prayer for him... Its a ritual that he had to do as a believer. 
..................................................
Do you know to Whom you pray for? Do you have a relationship with the Living God? Are your prayers is a ritual-based or a divine relationship-based? 

....Not so much of a motivational stuffs...I just raising questions...
May you answer it well. After all, to be motivated in life, you have to be certain to Whom you pray for~

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