Prayer Life

[ITS]

How does your prayer life become truly spiritual both in private with God and in public with others?

[Retsel]

Prayer is vital to the life of a Christian disciple. Prayer is also going to be something that is both public and private. Our private prayer life should involve confession (1 John 1:9) to make right our relationship with our Father. This involves being honest with ourselves and checking our motives in everything we do as we go through life. We should also praise God in private for all that He has done for us. We should also pray for one another as Christians (James 5:16). Let us not forget also to pray for the unsaved and that we may have opportunities to lead people to Christ and to disciple them (Matthew 28:19-20).
As far as making our prayer life spiritual in public, this is what we have to be careful with. Jesus warns in the Sermon on the Mount to not be like the hypocrites who love to get noticed when they pray. I don't think this means that no one should ever pray in public. We should again be honest with our motivations and seek to be "to the point" when we pray in public. Jesus also warns against babbling like the pagans and using many words.
These are some ideas to help spiritualize further our private times in prayer and our public times.

[Ted]

My prayer life becomes truly spiritual as it is connecting with God Himself. Spiritual prayer is less self centered and other centered. It is centered on Him, for Him and to Him. When I pray for forgiveness it is to bring me closer to Him and blot out what is coming between us. When I ask for strength it is to do what He wills not to fulfill selfish ambitions. My focus is on my Lord and less on myself. When seeing myself it is in context of being in Him and He in me.
In public when I can bring others to a place of God?s presence and away from themselves I have achieved a greater spirituality to my prayers. When my longing of obedience, righteousness and God?s glory is the major under-girding of my prayers I have a place of connection that is truly of spirit.

[Ted]

I agree with prayer being vital to the Christian. It is as breathing to a human being, it is so necessary.
Confession is like removing our self-righteousness. We can only come to Christ in a sense naked. We have nothing of value in ourselves. Prayer in a sense is the reality of life. We are totally needy and dependent.
Both Christ and Paul gave us forms to follow as we pray. Christ in direct connection with God and Paul to pray for authority that comes from God to us.
Public prayer is a communion of prayer from a group that are each directly in communion with God themselves. They say amen in their spirits as they are lifted by another to a place all feel comfortable, God?s throne of grace.