If it doesn’t come from the heart — or deeper, it isn’t prayer.

Mechanical recitation of prayers which use merely the head or mouth is not prayer. Machine gun rosaries are noise, not prayer. Rushing through a stack of prayer cards every day without thought or reverence, is not prayer.

People who come to prayer only when they have a personal shopping list, need to discover the higher forms of prayer, where God is the focal point. Prayers of petition are fruitful as we grow in trust, so prayers of petition are seldom fruitful without prayers of praise and worship, which foster trust.

If your visits with the Lord are always self-focused, repent!