Teach us to pray.
These general points in the type prayer given by Jesus, it is well to remember. God is not to be reached by many words. It is the broken spirit and the contrite heart that call down the love of the Father. Neither will the hollow, selfish prayer please the Father of us all. But as we pray, finding our own words in which to express the desires of our hearts, let us remember the characteristics of the prayer that Jesus gave.
It is brief.
It is direct.
It is sincere.
It is unselfish.
It expresses a simple, unshakable confidence in the providence of God.
Moreover, Jesus prayed often. So should we all. Only then may we hope to live in the presence of God.
"O Thou by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer Thyself hath trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray."