Always: 4

We can compare this to the ברית (Bris), covenant, between Dovid and Yonason. They made a covenant meant to connect them no matter what was happening in their lives. A Bris rises above the current feelings of the parties. Even when one party is not feeling connected to the other, the Bris connects them. The power of the Bris comes into play when the connection is weak.

Similarly when it comes to prayer. When a person prays even when he doesn't feel like it and feels like he has nothing to say, but only because it is his natural state, he shows that he has an essential connection to Hashem beyond all reason.

It is only when a person has a place where he belongs that he can truly discover new things about himself. In other situations he may discover deeper truths about himself. But something truly new can only be found in one's natural home.

Always: 3

The ideas explained in the previous post make it clear what the value is of praying at prescribed times, even if one isn't feeling very inspired.When someone prays when he feels like it and is inspired to do so it indicates that when he feels like speaking, he knows how to. However, when he has an awareness that it is time to pray and is therefore prepared to do so - no matter how inspired he is or isn't at the present moment - he shows that prayer is an integral part of his very being. It is not just something that he does because he is finding it enjoyable. Like a marriage bond for better or for worse... He belongs right now with Hashem, no matter what.

Always: 2

If a person returns home only when he has something to say to his family members, it means he is treating them as if they are business acquaintances; he has no inner connection to them. A healthy person returns home for no other reason than that is the place where he belongs.
The healthy person will come home every night even though he has nothing specific to say to the other members of his household, solely because that is the place where he feels at home. It is the returning home even with nothing to say, that shows it is home for him. Someone who comes home only when he needs help, shows that it is not his natural place.
This is the significance of prayer at set times even when one is not inspired to pray. If one prays only when he is inspired to do so it shows that he knows what to do when he feels like it. However, when one prays because he is aware that it is time to pray, and joins others in prayer, and does so even though he is uninspired, he shows that prayer is part and parcel of his life. He is there not just when he senses something to gain from it. It is like a marriage that is there for all circumstances. He belongs before Hashem now, no matter what.

Always: 1

Hisbodidus, connecting to Hashem personally, is חיים (Chayim), life. Chayim indicates something that is continual. A flowing spring is referred to as מים חיים, living waters. A person needs to connect to Hashem on a frequent and regular basis. It is not only for when someone is feeling good or on a spiritual high, or for others when they are down and desperate. It needs to be there all the time.

This is similar to a marriage. A married person is not meant to come home only when he happens to feel like it or when he has no other place to go. Someone who operates that way has no understanding of what marriage is. Rather it is constant, day in, day out. Night in, night out. It is where a person belongs, no matter what else is going on in his or her life.

The Importance of Relationships: 5

The Degel Machne Ephraim cites a seemingly bizarre Midrash. When the Torah says ויותר יעקב לבדו, and Yaakov remained alone, the Midrash says that this is connected to another verse which says: ונשגב ה' לבדו ביום ההוא, and God alone will remain exalted on that day.

What is the connection between these verse?

He explains that the Talmud teaches that every person should believe that the world was created for himself. If a person can truly internalize this dictum he will live his life with the realization that his behavior, good or bad, can affect the entire world's existence. Rather than worry about what other people are thinking about him, and adjust his behavior to what he thinks others will approve of, he has the cognizance that it is solely his doing what he knows is right for the world that counts.

Only then can he truly serve God without any outside pressures and interests getting involved. The Midrash is telling us that it is only when a person sees himself as unique and singularly responsible, can he live his life in a way that he is exalting God and God alone.

The Importance of Relationships: Sidebar Note

The concept of בדד, alone, can mean one of two things.
Sometimes a person chooses to be alone because he doesn't want the company of other people. He is alone because he doesn't wish to be with anyone else. At other times a person may choose to be alone because he chooses to focus on something and doesn't want the distractions inherent in being amongst others.
When we speak of Hisbodidus, of being alone with Hashem, the intent is not meant to be that you are alone with Hashem because you don't like to be around other people. Rather it is a choice to be alone with Hashem in order to focus on the relationship you have with Him.

The Importance of Relationships: 4b

After a person finds enjoyment in being alone with Hashem he will not find any other place of refuge in the world. Nothing will give him satisfaction and relaxation like a moment alone with Hashem. When he is lacking this pleasure he will find himself hungry and desiring that taste of life. Everything else seems empty and dry in comparison; he only wants to feel that connection that he had when he and Hashem were together. (These hopes are what build the eventual connection.)

This is the idea of התבודדות, Hisbodidus. On the one hand the person leaves civilization to go out in to the fields, under the sky. He is like a beast seeking and crying out for his sustenance. On the other hand, this is where he finds his true life.

He will seek out every bit of life he can find in each word of Torah that he studies, in every Mitzvah that he performs, in his every word of prayer - in all that he does. It is all revolving around his ultimate goal of finding a resting place for the Schechinah within his heart.