"The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how..." (1 Tim 2:1, MSG) Ever since the disciples of Jesus made the solemn request to Jesus, "Teach us how to pray" till date, man has always been burdened with the need to not just pray but to pray right. This is a good thing but it is not the right thing. Many Christians feel intimidated by talks of prayer escapades told by prayer "warriors". Most people have even separated themselves from the pack and distinguished themselves as prayer machines. They claim or simply appear to have mastered some secret methods to prayer that always works. They appear to have some direct line and access to God which the rest of us do not have. Jesus was a man of prayer. The Bible said He will depart every night to pray. His disciples were astounded and overwhelmed at His amazing prayer life; but at the same time they were disappointed that He hadn't taken the time to teach them how to perform the most important aspect of His ministry. They wanted some laid down rules and procedures - possibly some ritualistic order to conduct prayer. They even tried to guilt Jesus by reminding Him that John had held the same workshop for his disciples. But in response to their request, Jesus never taught them How to pray; He simply gave them an example of a prayer..
What the disciples failed to realise is that nobody teaches you how to pray. Prayer stems out of personal conviction. Prayer is not rehearsed or memorised or recited. It has to flow naturally from the heart. As long as you can talk and reason, you can pray. Prayer is simply communicating with your Father, God. There are no 5 steps or 3 keys to prayer. You simply get down on your knees and pray. You unburden your heart to God. You speak in sincerity and passion about your needs and life. God isn't waiting for you to learn how to pray, He is waiting for you to pray!