Read Psalm 32:6

 Never underestimate the place of prayer.

I'm convinced that one of the reasons we are so lax in prayer is that we have never prepared a place to meet with God. When you want to draw near to the heart of God, you have to get away from the din, away from the confusion, away from the noise and distractions.

You need a place apart—a place where you can separate yourself from the distractions of daily life and meet, alone, with God.

Then, be specific in your prayer life. 

If you need a job, pray for a job. If you're an engineer, ask God to open up an engineering position for you, or something related for which you are qualified.... If you need $1,500 for tuition, ask for that amount. If some fear has you in its grasp, name that fear and ask specifically for relief from it.

"We need," as one of my mentors used to say, "to guard against the slimy ooze of indefiniteness."

Make your petitions specific.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way (Nashville: J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001). Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.