What is Prayer?

Prayer is our way of communicating with God, much as a child with his father, we can talk with our Father. I am pretty new when it comes to prayer....other than "fox hole" prayers i.e. "God if you'll just do this for me I swear I'll do that." We negotiate with God as if we have something to offer that would otherwise be withheld, that God could not attain otherwise. It is silly on its face, to anyone who has a remote idea as to who God is, or even the concept of a god  (an all powerful being) so even an unbeliever should realize the futility in negotiating with God. So I have learned it is not negotiating.      
  Nor is it demanding. How do you demand something from God? He who has angels worshipping Him. He who has created all things. He who foreknows all things. He knows your demand before you even think it. Yet we are still sometimes foolish enough to demand God do this or that. So it is not demanding.
 Is it asking? Yes of course it is. As I said earlier, much as a child to his father, ask anything of God. He will answer, and much like your father here on earth, often the answer will be no. Why ask if the answer will be no? Well it might be yes. Or it might be later. He will answer, in His time, but He will. Ask for big things, ask for small things He will listen to them all. Most importantly His answer will always be perfect and justified. He will give you what you need and what fits into His plan, nothing more and nothing less. Think of a young child that had just seen an old western, a wild west shoot out, he's really into it, after the movie he goes to his dad and asks for a gun. What kind of father would say yes. An imperfect one of course. Now maybe he would buy his son a squirt gun, or a bb gun when a little older and wiser, and surely he would counsel the child it its responsible use. But to just grant a demand from a child who is in no way ready for what he asks is irresponsible, and I know I have a responsible and just God.
 Is it worshiping? Of course. God is awesome and worthy of our praise. He is the perfect and everlasting God. Everything we do should be to the glory of God, from drinking orange juice (see John Piper) to praying. Everything you and I have, from the clothes on our backs to the money in our pockets to the food on our plates belongs to God, worship Him that shares it with you. I recently started saying grace at dinner with my family, I realize I should be saying it at every meal, I will be praying about this.
 This brings me to being thankful. Is it giving thanks? Amen it is! Now you may ask well isn't that worshipping? I think it is different. We worship God for who He is in all things, we thank God for all things He does. He is at work in your life, most times I think we never notice, and often less times do we thank Him for it.
 Since I became a believer I have had a number of prayers answered, my job location, my Baptism, my daughter's surgery, all powerfully answered. I thank Him for those things, not nearly enough, and I try to do it as often as I pray, I may only say "thank you for all that you have given me" or I may name them out loud, but He knows whats in my heart.
Don't just recite the Lord's prayer, live it every time you pray!

The Lords Prayer :Matthew 6:10-13 "This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Amen!

Read everyline one at a time, think what it means.Think what God is telling you, if you do you may think I have missed something, you may be right.

As part of your prayers ask to turn away from and be protected from your sins and from being enticed to sin. Indeed a tough subject for another day but no doubt important and surely everytime we pray we should be asking Him to protect us and to help turn from sin when it tempts us. For it will tempt us and our spirit is not strong enough to turn from it, but if we ask Him for the the Holy Spirit to guide us, especially in times of temptation, He will give us the strength we need to "deliver us from evil" And times when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins that we have committed we should pray that Jesus will forgive those sins and keep us from them.

Lastly I would suggest you ask Father God to send the Holy Spirit to guide your life, in Jesus name, for his spilled blood that by grace you may be saved, that I am saved. Amen!