The point of a prayer is not to draw attention to itself, but to lead the people into communion with God. Sometimes my prayer sounds good because I want to show the people that I work hard. But what the congregation needs me to show them is God himself. That can be done better by a simple prayer than by one with too much ornamentation. Effective prayers .
People are aware that they have needs.
They are not always aware of the depth of those needs. Some may think they need a new relationship in their lives, when in fact, they need first to find God in their loneliness. Our prayers should help them tell the hard truth that they are afraid to voice on their own. Since I love the members of my congregation, it is tempting just to ask God to give them what they want. But prayer does not harness divine favors.