Prayer
God is our Heavenly Father. He loves us, and He wants us to speak with him. We do so through sincere prayer. We pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, because Christ is our advocate with the Father. Sometimes life is hard and we need to receive comfort, strength, or guidance. We can receive these things through prayer. As the Bible Dictionary states,
As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.
Since prayer is actual communication with God, prayers need not, and should not be the same memorized sentences repeated mindlessly over and over. Indeed, this is not really prayer at all. There are few prayers that are repeated word for word. Such prayers are used only in certain circumstances, such as blessing the bread and water for the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or the baptismal prayer. Personal prayer is different. It is as sincere as it is simple. It involves four steps: addressing God, thanking Him for things, asking Him for things, and closing “in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
1. Addressing God
The first step in prayer is calling God by name. Before this is one, the eyes are closed, the head bowed, and the arms usually folded, though it really does not matter what position one is in when he or she prays, so long as his or her heart is in the right place. One of the most common ways of addressing God the Father is to simply say, “Heavenly Father.” Another way is “Father in Heaven.” What is important is that one’s heart is in the right place and God the Father is addressed. It is to the Father that we pray.
2. Thanking Him for Things
Our Heavenly Father has given us so many things to be thankful. The second step in prayer is to choose some of these things and tell Heavenly Father that you are grateful for them. These blessings can be general or specific, large or small. We can thank the Lord for the beauty of the day or for His aid in helping us study for a test or work through a difficult matter. We can thank Him for his Son and Gospel and for our family. We can thank Him for the chance we have to be alive on this earth with the many technologies and scientific advancements that we have. The list of what we have to be grateful for is endless. Because of this, the gratitude portion of a prayer should be given priority. Sometimes it is okay to not ask for anything at all and just thank Him. for blessings.
3. Asking Him for Things
“[Y]our heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (Matthew 6:32). God knows what we need, but He wants us to ask Him for things because He loves us. “The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them” (Bible Dictionary, Prayer). We can ask for the Lord to heal us and others from illness. We can ask for strength to resist temptation. We can ask for guidance when we have an important decision to make, or when we find ourselves in a period of struggle or doubt. We can also ask for knowledge. We can ask to know of the truthfulness of Jesus Christ. We can ask God to teach us, to confirm our beliefs, or to “help thou [our] unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
4. Closing
To close, all prayers should be offered up in the Savior’s name. Christ is our Advocate and our Mediator with the Father. By the grace of Christ, we are able to receive the Father’s blessings and be cleansed to return to His presence. Therefore, prayers are concluded with the phrase “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
Mormons are counseled to pray at least twice a day, morning and evening. A person can pray at any time, whenever the need or inclination is felt, or even when it is not felt. In fact, in Mormonism, one should always have a prayer in their hearts, always seeking for the Lord’s guidance and influence in all their doings.
Families are very important in the Church and family prayer is strongly encouraged. A family can receive great unity and spiritual strength by praying together. Family members take turns giving the prayer. One person acts as the voice, while others listen reverently. All say “amen” at the end, showing agreement with what was said in the prayer.
Prayers are also given at worship services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These prayers invite the Holy Ghost into the meetings. They are not, however, meant to be sermons, but should be heartfelt and simple.
Prayer is a wonderful privilege given to all people, a wonderful opportunity to speak with God – to thank him and to receive guidance from him. We should never neglect this privilege for any reason. If we do, we are only depriving ourselves of blessings, knowledge, and joy. The Book of Mormon declares: “For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray” (2 Nephi 32:8).