Every aspect of service of God, including every prayer, has a particular appropriate intention. With the proper intent, a person can attain his spiritual goal. Yet, there is one general type of intent that breaks all barriers and attains whatever is needed – that is, approaching God with a broken heart. A broken heart enables a person to cling to God.

The main element of intent is [approaching God with] a broken heart, subjugating himself and clinging to God, may He be blessed. There is a parable for this matter: Every lock has a key that opens it precisely, a key that was fashioned with precision to fit a specific lock. There are thieves who open a door without a key; that is, they break the lock. This matter is the same. Every need has a key, which is the appropriate intention when praying for the fulfillment of that need. But the main way to open all doors is to be like a thief who breaks it all. That is, one has to thoroughly break his heart through great humility. This will break the curtain that separates the person from above and which was causing him to be closed off [from divine goodness]. (Ba’al Shem Tov, Keter Shem Tov 243)

Joyful prayer has an advantage over prayer out of sadness. God accepts both prayers, but whereas He gives the one who cries what he needs, He gives with great abundance to the one who prays joyously.

Prayer conducted with great joy is certainly more acceptable before Him, may His name be blessed, than prayer that is with sadness and crying. The parable for this is when a poor person supplicates before the king with great crying, the king gives him only a small amount. But when a minister presents the praises of the king joyfully, and then, through this, he also makes his request – the king responds to his request in an expansive way, in the way one gives to ministers. (Ba’al Shem Tov, as cited in Tzava’at HaRivash 107)

In order to pray properly, to say every word and think about its meaning, one must dedicate a sufficient amount of time to prayer and not hurry.

When a person takes enough time for his prayer, an amount that is not too short for the needed time, so that he can say each request by itself, slowly, he will be able to concentrate. But if he does not have this amount of time or if he does not speak in a measured manner, but rather, hastily, he will not be able to concentrate. (Rabbi Menaĥem di Lonzano, Derekh Ĥayyim, p. 49)