The disciples witnessed Jesus' many pauses for prayer, intimate dialogue with his heavenly Father. They must have found his return from these times so attractive that they, too, wanted a similar experience. They asked that he teach them to pray. We have accounts of the Lord's Prayer in the Gospels and Christians have used this as a model of prayer for two millenia.
Still there are people who see prayer as a recital of someone else's words, or as an urgent petition. Prayer is really a conversation--a two-way conversation with the One who loves us in a very personal way. Two things are very important to remember as we enter the adventure of prayer. God is not a vending machine where we enter a certain amount of coins or words and receive a predictable product. Also, it takes time to learn God's language. We would not expect to go to China, for example, and immediately be able to speak and understand. The "textbook" for God's language is the Bible. Those who read the Sacred Scriptures every day, for however a short time, slowly begin to "hear" and understand God's part of the conversation. He comes as a gentle breeze and night as a dramatic light and sound show. It takes practice and a dedication of some time of quiet and solitude... again it might be only a few moments in a busy life but it must be regular and a part of a total life of love and service according to our state of life. True prayer is so simple that it is often overlooked, but God loves us. Jesus wants to be with us, so every small effort of our own will be richly rewarded. The most tangible fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy which comes like a dawn and then a lovely summer day and remains with us even while difficulties and sufferings assail us. Theologians may have far more precise insights into prayer gathered from great saints over the centuries, but many simple people know the wonderful experience of prayer. They would all tell us that it is well worth the effort.
