"But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:6

Jesus taught His disciples how to communicate with God. In a context where people were taking things designed to draw attention to God and twisting them into ways to get attention for themselves, Jesus' words are a breath of fresh air. He knew how susceptible people are to fixating on anything and everything but God so He gave us a model prayer, a pattern for praying that puts God first. Not a formal, exact prescription, more a description of what we will focus on. A way to talk with God, a way to acknowledge Him, a way to ask.