In its simplest definition prayer is a conversation between the one who is praying and the one to whom those prayers are directed.
To have an effective prayer, the following four steps can be helpful.
(i) ADORATION: Our prayer of adoration is one that is centred entirely on God. It is our expression of praise for all that God is - His holiness, majesty, love and greatness.
It's that mountaintop experience of being in the presence of the Creator of all that you see around you, or sitting through a truly wonderful performance of a sacred work which has transported your soul to another plain. Perhaps you see what I'm trying to explain?
Adoration comes from the heart, from our emotions; it's an expression of our inmost feelings.
(ii) CONFESSION: An awareness of God's presence within our worship naturally leads on to a feeling of our own unworthiness. In confession we acknowledge what we are and ask for forgiveness.
If these prayers are part of an act of public worship then it is appropriate to express the Christian conviction that we all share in the sin of humankind.
Any prayer of confession should properly express our belief that God offers the promise of forgiveness.
(iii) THANKSGIVING: Often lost within the package of prayer offered within worship is thanksgiving. It gets confused with adoration or simply ignored as prayers focus on intercession.
It is only right and proper that we should thank God for all that he has done. For the beauty of this world which he created, for the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the promise of the Holy Spirit, his continuing creativity in the world today and for the Church - his body here on earth.
(iv) SILENCE: Silence is important; in that it allows us time to digest all that has been said through prayer. It gives us precious time within worship to let our hearts talk. We have to listen to God. God speaks to us. Only one who listens to Him can have good relationship with God.
As David Adam says “It is not an empty time but a God-filled time when we open ourselves up to him.”
Prayer can take many forms, and encompass the whole range of poetic and literary styles. It can be a cry for help or a cry of joy. It can be a single word or a symphony of prose.
Pope John Paul II is quoted as follows on the difficulty of praying. "How to pray? This is a simple matter. I would say: Pray any way you like, so long as you do pray."