The Lord's prayer is more a model than a prayer intended for mechanical recitation; Jesus introduces it with the phrase, "Pray then like this (Matthew 6:9)." More important are the many principles for effective petitionary prayer taught in the NT. The Bible teaches that there is right and a wrong way to pray, What if we pray incorrectly or not at all? The result is often this: people are dead who should be alive, sick who should be healed, in inner turmoil who should be victorious. Yes, I know that God sometimes says yes, sometimes says no, and sometimes says wait. But too many Christians have a "gimme" approach to prayer that treats God like a cosmic slot machine.
In his wise book "Prayer," Richard Foster identifies 22 types of prayer. How many do you incorporate into your prayer time? Do you routinely, but not mechanically, supplement your petitionary prayer with meditation, praise, and thanksgiving? Do you pray in the Spirit as Paul commands you to do? We must face the truth that there is an art of prayer, which we must practice and master.
