Prayer is communication with God. Talking with Almighty God is the greatest privilege you have.

God desires a growing relationship with you. Communication is essential for a relationship to develop. Involve God in every part of your life: every decision and every action. In that sense you should pray without ceasing -- always being in communication with God.

However, we need special prayer times focused completely on the Lord. He is worthy of our time and attention -- and we require this time with Him to develop spiritually.

Remember the instruction given in Psalm 100:4, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." If you seem to run out of words to praise God, use some of the Psalms, or praise.

Many use the model prayer our Lord gave in Matthew 6:9-13 as a guideline for their special daily prayer time. Some of the principles taught are:

*You are praying to your Father. *First worship and honor God. *Pray that God's will be done before praying about your own or others' needs. *Ask for God's forgiveness and help. *Finish by praising God.

During times of prayer many find it helpful as a memory aid to have a prayer list of people and things to pray for. Also, keeping a journal of your prayer requests and answers is beneficial and will bless you tremendously as the years go by.

Always base your prayer on Scripture. Scripture is God's answer. Receiving from God in prayer involves taking His answer (His Word) to Him and receiving your request by faith.