Japan sparked worldwide prayer

I was recently in Japan spanning from Oct 2010 to the end of March 2011. Yes, I happened to be in Japan during the worst Earthquake and Tsunamis the country has ever been faced with including the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima. I’m writing simply to say that I was witness to an interesting turn of man to faith. Never in my lifetime have I seen one whole country and better yet the entire world turn to prayer as a form of relief. Obviously many of us have contributed money toward the relief efforts in Japan, but it was quite interesting to see prayer as a form of relief.
 Especially coming from a Christian background prayer is not something new to me. Regardless of faith I also recognize that every tradition uses prayer as a form of casting their deepest hope for others and themselves.
But actual prayer isn’t something that is done flippantly. For it takes nothing for a man to say he will pray for you but it draws upon a man’s own faith to actually humble themselves in the sight of something greater in hopes of a better future.

What causes someone to turn to pray as their last hope; a sense of hopelessness or maybe the stark realization that they have nothing to contribute to relieve someone’s suffering? I just think it sucks that the suffering of Japan is what sparked the whole world to pray.