The Bible has no single word for prayer. There are as many words for prayer as there are kinds of prayer. There is no single physical posture or location required for prayer. And, there are no special English words to be used only in prayer.
Prayer is communication with God. It may be done silently, alone, as a group of two or three or more, in private, or in public.
Some may think you more spiritual if your public prayer is long. Jesus never made long public prayers and warned about the practice (Mark 12:40). Don’t worry about someone else’s prayer. Just pray yourself.
In general, make your prayers like those of a child to a loving parent. And, expect your Father to know what’s best for you.
A word used many times in the New Testament for praying is προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai). It has the idea of direct prayer, a coming face-to-face with God Himself and speaking to Him and making requests for others and oneself in a hushed voice that He can hear because He is so close.
The Lord Jesus Christ did give a pattern prayer. I won’t quote it here, because you probably know it too well already. But, here is its pattern:
- Speak to God as your heavenly Father.
- Acknowledge who and what He is.
- Bend your will to His always and everywhere.
- Ask for your real needs to be supplied.
- Ask for your sins to be forgiven just as you forgive others.
- Seek deliverance from what tempts you.