A Christian Epistle on Prayer

...twelve characteristics or elements that are necessary for true prayer and for being heard; which the devout person who wishes to pray correctly should, through God's grace, first learn, first consider well, and ask the Lord for, if their prayer is otherwise to please God.

What prayer is.

Prayer is the ascent of the mind to God. original Latin: "ORATIO est ascensus mentis in Deum." This definition was highly influential in the Middle Ages and Reformation, originally attributed to the 8th-century theologian John of Damascus.

But before I list those same twelve elements, I wish first to explain something about prayer—what it means to pray—and its different forms. Namely, prayer is an uplifting of the faithful soul, or an ascending of the mind into God in heaven, either with thanksgiving for His blessings, or with earnest persistence to obtain something from God. It is called holding a spiritual conversation with God, crying out to God for help, sighing, petitioning, pouring out the heart before God, and lamenting and presenting our needs (of which there are many) to Him through prayer. It is also called calling upon the name of the Lord, singing to the Lord from the heart with psalms, spiritual songs, and hymns of praise in grace The author refers to the state of being under God's favor and the influence of the Holy Spirit., and offering Him praise and thanks for the kindnesses received from Him; all of this is understood and encompassed by the word "Prayer."

At this point, one should know right at the start that no person can pray correctly unless they are a believer; for without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever wishes to come to God must believe, says St. Paul, that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11.