“It is impossible for one who prays spiritually and sincerely to be verbose. When the soul becomes aware of what it is saying, and in its awareness tries to muster both the words and he ideas, it will be compelled to dispense with the words and cling to the thoughts, or, conversely, to lose sight of the thoughts and stress the words. Such oral prayers are to be valued only insofar as they spur and move the soul to reflect on the meaning and he desires conveyed by the words.”

Luther, Martin. “An Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer for Simple Laymen” (1519) Luther’s Works Vol. 42. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969), pages 20-21.