Matthew 6:5-15 (NIV)
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
So what do you do when you get alone with God in the secret place? Do you go through a long list of asking for things you need? Do you read a lot from the Bible, or other prayer books? How do you organize your time? Does God care how you spend this time with Him? Has he given any instructions?
God is the best on this subject. He has not left us to fend for ourselves in this arena. Listen carefully to his directions here. When you get to your secret place just sit before him in silence for a few moments. You do not need to bring a large list of things to ask Him for He already knows what you need. Just learn to enjoy being in his presence. Rest in his sovereign care for you.
If you do not feel like praying, just be there. I suggest you plan at least fifteen minutes of being with the Father every day at first. Your prayer might go something like this, "Father I am here because I want to know you and enjoy your presence. I want to love to be with you more than anything. Would you please direct me as I spend each day apart with you. Direct my heart to grow in love towards you.
You may want to take a notebook with you and write down what you want to talk to God about. After you have your list then take a few moments to pray and offer your questions up to God and ask him to help you discover Him as you set about to find he answers.
Take a moment to confess your need of Him in your life today and ask his directions as you walk together.
God help us, we are barely crawling and we want to walk and perhaps someday we can even run with you,