Matthew 6:5 says, And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.  Jesus teaches us that just as there is a correct way to give, so there is a correct way to pray.  This verse tells us that when we pray we are not to pray in such a way as to bring attention to ourselves instead of to God.  I don't believe that Jesus is saying that we should never pray in public, but when we do this we should never have people focused on us instead of God.  If we pray simply to call attention to ourselves, we have our reward already.  Verse six states, But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.  Jesus tells us that when we pray we are to go into our closet and do so in secret.  Then, God will see us and openly reward us.  Prayer is first and foremost a communication between a person and God.  Verse seven declares, But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  I don't believe that this is as much about whether we say the same words in prayer as it is about the words having no meaning when we say them.  Jesus also tells us that we do not have to go on and on in prayer.  We may hear someone pray and tell them that it was a beautiful prayer, but if the prayer had no real meaning to the person praying, then it means nothing to God.  Verse eight says, Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.  We do not need to pray to call attention to ourselves, nor do we need to get God's attention.  God already knows our needs and simply expects us to acknowledge to Him that He is the One Who can meet our needs.  Verse nine says, After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  This is the beginning of what is normally called the Lord's prayer, but I believe should more accurately be called the Lord's model prayer.  I believe that Jesus' prayer in the garden and on the cross, for example, are more His prayers.  Still, the first thing that Jesus tells us is that our prayers should be directed to the heavenly Father.  We must be sincere in our acknowledgement of Who God is.  As followers of Christ, He is our heavenly Father.  Verse ten says, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Jesus tells us that after we acknowledge God as our heavenly Father, then we are to pray, not for what we may want, but that God's will is done here on earth.  God is always at work in the world through His followers, if His followers are doing His will.  Verse eleven states, Give us this day our daily bread.  Jesus teaches us to pray for our daily needs to be met, for our daily bread.  We are not told to pray for all our wants, but for our own daily bread.  Verse twelve says, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  We have been forgiven our debt to God through our faith in Christ, and we are to forgive those who are in debt to us because we have been forgiven.  Verse thirteen states, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.  Since God never leads us into temptation, I believe that this means keep us from being led into temptation.  If we remember that it is God's kingdom, sustained by God's power, and that we are to do everything for God's glory, then we will never be led into temptation.  Verse fourteen declares, For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  Jesus expands on the nature of forgiveness.  If we don't forgive those who have somehow harmed us, then why should we expect God to forgive us?  We have been forever forgiven for our trespasses against God.  Verse fifteen further declares, But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  If we will not forgive others for their trespasses against us, then God will not forgive our trespasses against Him.  I do not believe that this means that we cannot be saved without forgiving others, but that once we are saved that we are to be as forgiving in our relationship to God as He is in His relationship to us.