Have you ever experienced having an all-night conversation with someone, perhaps with your best friend at a sleepover, where you shared so many things back and forth that you didn’t notice the time pass by and before you knew it, morning had come?
If you had, then you can relate to how Jesus prayed to His Father in Heaven. Jesus loved being with God so much that praying was more like an intimate conversation than anything else. The Bible mentions some of Jesus’ prayers, and some are quite long (see John 17) and others are short and sweet (see Matthew 6:9-13). He would frequently go off to a solitary place to pray, sometimes staying up all night praying (see Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12) and other times offering a quick thanksgiving and request. It’s not the length or the number of words or eloquence; rather it’s the way intimacy and joy that Jesus showed whenever He spent time in the presence of His Father.
If we are to become like Jesus, how then do we pray?
Focus on the relationship, and not on the requests. Enjoy the time spent with our Father. Get to know Him and let Him know you. He does know your thoughts and heart, of course, but He delights in hearing your voice. The Father delights in giving us the desires of our hearts and answering our prayer requests and petitions, but He longs for intimate relationship more than anything else. After all, the Lord’s Prayer began with “Our Abba Father…”.