The sixteenth blessing of the Shmoneh Esrei says, שמע קולנו...וקבל ברחמים וברצון את תפילתנו: "Hear our voice...and accept our prayer with compassion and favor."
It seems redundant and circular to ask Hashem to answer our prayers. If he was not going to answer our prayers, why would he answer this one?
What does this blessing accomplish?
Answer
Here's one possible answer, from the commentary Maggid Tzedek on the siddur (link to page):
כדאיתא במסכת תענית (דף כה:): שמואל הקטן גזר תעניתא וירדו להם גשמים קודם הנץ החמה. כסבורין העם לומר שבחו של צבור הוא. אמר להם: אמשול לכם משל למה הדבר דומה, לעבד שמבקש פרס מרבו, אמר להם: תנו לא ואל אשמע קולו
As is related in Masekhet Ta'anit (page 25b): Shmuel HaKatan decreed a fast day [because of drought] and rain fell [in the early morning of the decreed fast day] before sunrise [and therefore before the public had even started offering their fast day prayers]. The people thought that this spoke to the merit of the community [i.e., the granting of their desire so quickly]. He [Shmuel HaKatan] said to them, I'll offer a parable regarding what has happened: a servant sought a boon from his master. He [the master] said: Give him what he wants but just don't make me have to hear his voice.
So too here, we express the desire that, outside of any actual granting of our requests, the voice of our asking itself be privileged to be desired and not obnoxious.... The commentator goes on to offer several other answers, all different and all interesting.
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