Jesus gave us an incredibly clear guideline for prayer!
When the disciples asked Jesus to show them how to pray, He gave them some great guidelines to shape their prayer lives. We focus on who God is, we ask for the things on His heart, and we present our needs before Him.
Matthew 6:5-13 (NRSV)
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“Pray then in this way: