Whether new to pray or not, we often struggle to articulate our prayers to God. At those times, there is no better model of prayer than the one suggested by Jesus. People often recite the Lord's Prayer similar to how it is presented in the gospels. Another method is to use the Lord's Prayer as a template for prayer topics.
The Lord's Prayer consists of (roughly) five topics. As a prayer challenge, pick five times throughout the day (say, 8:00, 11:00, 2:00, 5:00, and 8:00), and at each of those times, spend a few quiet minutes focusing on one of the topics. You'll feel closer to God at the end of the day!
Topic 1: Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed be your name.
Quite simply, we are humbling ourselves and praising God. He is the alpha and the omega. He breathed life into us and made us part of His plan. He is worthy of our praise.
Topic 2: May Your kingdom come, may Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
God has a plan that cannot be thwarted. Here we pray that things happen according to God's will, not ours. And we offer ourselves as instruments, in whatever capacity He needs us, to bring that plan to its completion.
Topic 3: Give us this day our daily bread.
Our mission in life is not to be successful, as nice as that is. Rather, our mission is to exalt God and do His will. In order to do that, we need sufficient food, shelter, and health. God knows this, so here we ask for neither riches nor poverty, but rather sufficient sustenance to complete our mission. If you are rich, pray for strength that you do not become emotionally attached to your prosperous life.
Topic 4: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
We all stumble and break God's law. We ask for forgiveness in proportion to the mercy we show to others.
Topic 5: Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.
We ask to be lead away from temptation and trouble, whether caused by our own fault, or not.
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