In this world there are diverse religions and methods of worshiping the higher power.
Some cultures pray to their ancestors, some pray to a multitude of deities, atheists claim to believe in nothing but find themselves calling on the name of God when in crisis. Muslims go to great lengths to ensure they pray properly, bowing themselves to the ground 5 times a day, in the direction of their holy city Mecca. Devout Jews pray three times and always facing their Holy City, in fact all the Synagogues in the world are aligned to face Jerusalem. The Catholics pray set prayers from their Catechisms, Protestants pray spontaneous prayers but often these prayers tend to sound very similar as we humans like to use the same tried and tested means. Who then is praying the proper way? Who is asking God's favor in a way that will get Him to answer in a timely fashion?
Muslim prayer seems to emanate from a people who fear their God not from a sense of awe but from a sense of fear, from not knowing for sure if they will be saved in the final wash up. Muslim prayer, or Salat is preceded by the washing of hands in preparation. The faithful are called to prayer by the muezzin who announces the call to prayer usually through the Mosque's minaret, or even on the radio nowadays. The worshippers are line up in parallel rows behind the imam, who directs them through the rak'as, the positions and prayers. The prayer service starts in a standing position and moves through several simple postures until the worshipper is kneeling. Special prayers are said by the petitioners in each position (IslamicVoice.com). This process happens five times or more a day and it is a ritual that is very structured and no doubt gives one a feeling of piety. In Islam it seems to be most important to make these gestures of piety in order to rack up ‘brownie' points in the eternal paradise standings. There is a weighing up of good versus bad deeds and if the good outweighs the bad, then Bob's your uncle, but if not then your goose is cooked (pun intended).
Jews on the other hand just have to obey the Ten Commandments and they are assured of going to Abraham's bosom too. The Ten Commandments I feel are hard enough on their own, and most people, you'd think, would try to lessen the number by combining a few. But the Jews being faithful Jews have gone and simplified them by splitting them up into 613 little laws which I am sure no one keeps anyway. Any Trekkie who is reading this might be reminded of Quark and the Ferengi rules of Acquisition. Jokes aside, when praying Jews will pray the Psalms and sing songs which are very devotional, but once again there does seem to be a multiplication of words, which is alright because it is Scripture, but there is rarely if any spontaneous prayer heard. There are three prayer times, the SHACHRIT, morning prayer, the MINCHA, afternoon prayer, and MA'ARIV, the evening devotion. Then there are the Sabbath and Feast day special prayers, but even these seem to be a multiplication of words in rituals. So what sort of prayer does God indeed listen and respond to.
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry he was at the well speaking to the Samaritan woman about praying and she told Him that they prayed to God on the mountain of Shiloh. and He told her, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." John 4:23. When Jesus was teaching his disciples he was coming from a Jewish tradition, and he wasn't going to try and change the Law of Moses, in fact he said that rather than getting rid of Moses' Law he had come to fulfill it (citation). I grew up in the Catholic tradition and there is something to be said about a religion which prays a prayer and is done with it. I joined the Protestant traditions firstly through Catholic Charismatic Movements which are just as guilty of "verbosity" as their Protestant cousins, because in ‘house' meetings the head of the house would stand and start praying spontaneously and especially when he was asking for something, the tone would sometimes be almost apologetic when asking for the particular intention from God. The Ministers who inspired the most confidence in me were those who could confidently stand before the Lord as He instructed us and knowing they have put on the mind of God, they confidently ask the Lord in a short and concise prayer. When He was asked by his apostles, how they should pray, he told them,
