The word for ‘prayer’ that is used in the New  Testament simply means ‘to present our desires towards (someone)’. So when we turn to God in  prayer, we should take all the ‘desires of our heart’ (Psalm 37:4) to Him and these should include a  deeply felt awareness of our sins and our need to be forgiven by Him. When we approach God in prayer we must believe that He hears us and that He will answer our  prayers. This requires faith.  “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God  must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”   Hebrews 11:6  However, this verse does not mean that God will give us everything we ask for. If we pray in  the right spirit then God will listen to our prayers and He will answer them in a way that will really  benefit us. It is very important to understand what this means. God does not promise us that He will  take away all the problems of this life now. He tells us:  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those  who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28