And when you pray, don’t be like those people who don’t know God. They continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words. [Matthew 6:7 (NCV)]
Remember the old joke, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer, of course, is, “Practice, practice, practice!”
In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcom Gladwell posits that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to master a skill. He’s not speaking of senseless repetition or only choosing to work at skills one has already attained, but rather serious, mentally challenging and deliberate practice. Perhaps that’s why some of us don’t seem very good at prayer: we haven’t practiced nearly enough! Sure, we’ve said prayers for many years, but we probably haven’t diligently practiced praying. I’m not sure that a quick grace thoughtlessly repeated before a meal or a relieved sigh of, “Thank God!” even count! There’s probably been a good bit of mindless repetition and lack of concentration in many of our prayers. Most likely, we are pretty practiced in praying for ourselves, fair at praying for others (when we remember), but we could definitely spend more time on praise and thanksgiving (especially when times are tough). I suspect that both soul searching and confession definitely need lots of work. Does practice make praying perfect? Probably not, but it sure will make mindful praying a habit!
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. [Martin Luther King, Jr.]
Devotions of the Heart 