Throughout Christendom at least, humanity believes in the efficacy of prayer. There may not be that universal reliance upon this divine agency which could be reasonably expected among a people who profess to know and serve the true God, but to a certain extent they confirm their belief in the power of prayer by resorting to it in times of great need. No doubt the principal reason why prayer does not have a more general recognition in all the affairs of daily life is because mortals so often feel that they do not know how to pray and do not have a definite idea of the purpose of prayer as it pertains to the routine of daily living. The earnest longing of the human heart is often expressed in the words of the disciples to Jesus when they said, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."
In response to the earnest request of his followers the Master gave them—and giving to them, he gave to all the world—that which is known as the Lord's Prayer wherever the teachings of Jesus are accepted as pointing the way of salvation. The mere repetition of the words of this prayer is not enough. The sincere desire and conviction of the heart, and not the mere words whereby the effort is made to express this conviction and desire, is the prayer of faith that is effectual.
If the repetition of words were a prayer, it would be no difficult thing to pray, but if such prayers were answered mortals would not always realize the great need of conforming to God's requirements. Words, however, are not prayer, and it is well not to place too much importance on words. Words at best are a feeble expression of thought and can never convey a definite idea of the prayer which is effectual because it is genuine. Words may belie the sincere desire of the heart and may even be contrary to one's honest conviction. Why then consider that the repetition of words is any true concept of prayer?
