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1Some people speak very formally when they pray, using lots of long words that no one else has heard of! Others chatter away like they are talking to a mate sitting next to them. Neither are right or wrong; we all have our different ways.

Prayer should be like a conversation you might have with someone close to you. Just start to open yourself up and share honestly with God. Tell Him your fears, your worries, your needs. You can even ask God to help you speak to Him.

God isn’t impressed by how long our prayers are or how many people hear us saying them. What God really wants is for us to mean what we say to Him, no matter how long the words or the prayer. Look at these words from Jesus:

When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you. When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. (Matthew 6:6-8)

When Jesus’ closest friends asked Him to teach them how to pray, He taught them this prayer:

Our Father in heaven, help us to honour your name.
Come and set up your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth will obey you,
as you are obeyed in heaven.
Give us our food for today.
Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.
Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil.

This prayer is sometimes called “The Lord’s Prayer”. It isn’t a prayer that we are just meant to memorise and then say back to God. It was an example that Jesus gave to His friends to help them understand what prayer is. And it teaches us about the sorts of things that should go into our prayers — honouring God, trusting God, asking for His help and obeying Him. We should use our own words to say the things that are on our minds because God wants a personal connection between us and Himself.

— Kevin, an Our Daily Bread reader