Perhaps you have been told, as I have, to pray, without having a clear picture of how. For much of my life the only patterns for prayer I was given were “Now I lay me down to sleep…” and “Bless this food of which…” Later I learned “The Lord's Prayer in the King James translation, and I could recite it from memory. It was comforting, but I found I could recite the prayer without ever thinking about what it meant.
The many examples of prayer in the Bible give me the clear impression that prayer should occupy a very important place in my life.
In fact, Jesus gives us instructions on how to pray.

Matthew 6:5
“And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get.

Prayer is a sincere communication between God and us. We don’t have to worry about proving to someone else how pious or intellectual we are. In prayer, our approval comes from God.

Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.

Find a private, quiet place. Get away from distractions, tune in to what God has to say.

Matthew 6:7
“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again.

Don’t simply recite without thinking about what you are saying. Speak as you would speak to a friend who loves you. He is your creator and He knows your heart. He doesn’t need repetitive or important language to hear you.