Having the perfect Father makes all the difference when it comes time to pray. . . . First, it means that you can keep it simple; second, it means God will give you what you need almost before you ask.

First, you can keep prayer simple. When children need something from their fathers, they do not hire a lawyer, draft a formal petition, or get down on their knees, they just ask. That is why Christian prayers are straightforward. The prayers of pagans tend to be overly complicated, but when Christians pray, they pray to their Father. . . .

Our heavenly Father loves to take care of his children. If there is something you need--really need--all you need to do is ask. You do not need to beg, borrow, or steal. You do not need to say a magic prayer. Just tell your Father what you need. He already knows about it, and very likely, help is already on the way.

Philip Graham Ryken, When You Pray: Making the Lord's Prayer Your Own

It is through the common activities of daily life that God establishes his uncommon kingdom. God's kingdom may not be of this world, but it is certainly meant to come into this world, and it does so in rather ordinary ways. Whenever you calculate the accounts payable, double-check a lab result, haul away the trash, serve a hot meal to the homeless, finish your history homework, help a customer find the right size, water the geraniums, or snap the lid on a sippy-cup, you are doing kingdom work. You are doing kingdom work provided, that is, you do whatever you do in submission to God's rule, for the sake of His royal honor. You are doing kingdom work, not because doing these things will necessarily change the world, but because by doing them, you show how God has changed you.

Philip Ryken, When You Pray: Making the Lord's Prayer Your Own