Is devotion in prayer merely about focusing and sensing what is being recited in it, or does it have a deeper essence that requires clarification?

Reverence (Khushu') in prayer is the presence of the heart and the mind's focus on what is being recited and said, including supplications and remembrance (dhikr), while contemplating their meanings and paying attention to their performance. This is so that it may have its effect in revitalizing the heart and achieving the greatest purpose of prayer.