In The School of Prayer (2)

CONTROLLING THE  MIND IN RAYER (1)
"Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." (Proverbs 4:23 AMP)
Prayer is spiritual, it is communion with God who is a spirit, it is a means of cultivating fellowship with God: Alas! The  concomitant  benefits and  the supernatural experiences of  prayer have eluded  many dear saints because of wandering heart - 'hearts filled distractions during prayer'.
The heart by its nature and its divers involvement in the affairs of this world has a  characteristic tendency for distraction especially during prayer.  We are in a fast-paced world driven by capitalism and technology and  believers exist  in such a world where "busyness" is the order of the day. Idle minds and hands they say are devil's workshop; though well said,  but have  you considered the other extreme where  "busyness" and other pre-occupation  are  taking great toll  on our spiritual lives?
Your highly demanding work, thoughts of  disappointment, anger, resentment, unforgiveness and even of pleasure which have pre-occupied your heart end up pulling your heart towards different directions;  and as soon as you open your mouth in prayer they emerge in your imagination  with an influence that seems irresistible.  Most times you end up getting frustrated having battled with distracting thoughts without success: It seems you have prayed for over one hour but  lo and behold  as you check the time  only  12 mins. have gone by.
May I say to you frankly that there is no anointing or any
special divine Influence for mind control. It is the responsibility of the believer to control his mind in prayer. God will not do it for you neither will your heart stay under control of  its own  accord; checks and discipline must be 'imposed' over time.
By practice, the heart must be  made subject to the learning process of constant praying among other activities, then  it will be trained to stay under control and stay focused on God. When you do this, your heart will  "come alive" and become sensitive to the voice of the spirit; then you will begin to enjoy communion with God in the deep sense of the word.

In The School of Prayer (2)

"Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; (1 Thessalonians 5:17 AMP)
"...do not forbid or hinder speaking in [unknown] tongues." ( 1 Corinthians 14:39 AMP)
For a man who will not pray in tongues ceaseless prayer as commanded by scriptures is difficult if not impossible; the man heeding that command by praying only in his understanding has signed up for vain repetition in prayer.
At the highest peak of your spirituality, your mind is still limited in Knowledge and understanding; no matter how informed you are about the things of God, the summary of your grasp where the vast knowledge of God is concerned is summed up by ICor. 13:12 - "you Know in part". Hence, if all you are "drawing" from is your mind (which has limitation), you will likely get stuck at a point; and that might just be the reason you could not persevere in prayer having been frustrated by your limitation and perceived boredom.
Please pray in your understanding (ICor. 14:14) for it is profitable, but pray more in tongues. You cannot pray amiss praying in tongues, neither can you enter vain repetition. When you pray in tongues, you are drawing from the limitless knowledge of God directly from the mind of the Spirit; you are praying beyond what you know; you are partnering with God to pray out His will.
Praying in tongues is the"lifeline"of ceaseless prayer. I believe the reason they were not commanded to pray without ceasing under the old covenant is because, then they were not born of the spirit and thus lack the capacity to pray in the spirit. Speaking in tongues is an exclusive characteristic of the New Testament.
Ever wondered how possible it is to truly pray without ceasing, then do it praying in tongues; you will discover that none of God's command to the believer is grievous (burdensome). Do I meet you praying?