When thy desire and mind is gotten up, and as it were set free from all fleshly thoughts and affections, and is much lifted up by spiritual power unto spiritual favour and delight in Him and of His spiritual presence; hold thou therein much of thy time of prayer, so that thou have no great mind of earthly things, or if they come into thy mind that they do but trouble or affect thee little. If thou canst pray thus, thou prayest well, for prayer is nothing else but an ascending or getting up of the desire of the heart into God by withdrawing of it from all earthly thoughts. Therefore it is likened to a fire which, of its own nature, leaveth the lowness of the earth and always mounteth up into the air, even so desire in prayer, when it is touched and kindled of the spiritual fire, which is God, is ever aspiring up to Him that it came from. (John Climacus)

Prayer is a mechanism by which we reconcile with God. Through prayer we can be brought together with God.

God is always nearby - near at hand, as Jesus often explained - but we may not notice. We are easily distracted by earthly things.

Some earthly things may be as smoke unleashed by John´s spiritual fire, they are worth our attention, but will only be resolved as the fire burns brighter.

Prayer is how we attend to the fire that clarifies and purifies our attention, brightens our sight, and warms our body to know and do what God intends.

The English for pray or prayer is derived from what is clearly to ask. This is true of most Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words for prayer.

But the less common Hebrew word פָּלָל or palal may suggest a form of prayer closer to that advocated by John Climacus. Rather than asking, it is more about listening, waiting, and meditating.

In the following, from the 42nd chapter of Jeremiah, palal is used in contrast to the much more common Hebrew terms for prayer:

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray (palal) to the Lord your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the Lord will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you."

Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us.

"Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God."

Now at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.