As humans we sometimes look for the limits. A research paper is assigned in school – “How long does it have to be?” A presentation is assigned to you at work – “How long does it have to be?” God tells us, as His children, to pray – “How long does it have to be?”
God does not put any limits on the “length” of our prayers (long or short limits). Peter’s prayer in Matthew 14:30 is pretty short (only three words), “Lord, save me!” There are other recorded prayers that were “fairly short” – Jesus’ prayers in the Garden, Nehemiah’s “remember me” prayers sprinkled throughout his book, etc. Yet, there are also some longer prayers – Jesus’ prayer in John 17 was 620 words; Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple was over 1,000 words; the prayer recorded in Nehemiah 9 was nearly 1,200 words.
There is no right or wrong length of a prayer. Some prayers are too short and others are too long, and this has nothing to do with the number of words but everything to do with the heart! Engage your heart! Let your heart speak to God! The length will take care of itself!