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| Source Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all of our doings, as we express heartfelt gratitude, and as we pray for others. |
My message in the last general conference focused upon the
gospel principle of asking in faith in prayer. Today I want to discuss three
additional principles that can help our prayers become more meaningful, and I
pray for the assistance of the Holy Ghost for me and for you.
Principle #1. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel
with the Lord in all our doings (see Alma 37:37).
Simply stated, prayer is communication to Heavenly Father
from His sons and daughters on earth. “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” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer,” 752). We are commanded to pray always to the
Father in the name of the Son (see 3 Nephi 18:19–20). We are promised that if
we pray sincerely for that which is right and good and in accordance with God’s
will, we can be blessed, protected, and directed (see 3 Nephi 18:20; D&C
19:38).
Revelation is communication from Heavenly Father to His children
on earth. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and
knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable things
that bring joy and eternal life (see D&C 42:61). The mysteries are those
matters that can only be known and understood by the power of the Holy Ghost
(see Harold B. Lee, Ye Are the Light of the World [1974], 211).
The revelations of the Father and the Son are conveyed
through the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is
the witness of and messenger for the Father and the Son.
The patterns used by God in creating the earth are
instructive in helping us understand how to make prayer meaningful. In the
third chapter of the book of Moses we learn that all things were created spiritually
before they were naturally upon the earth.
“And now, behold, I say unto you, that these are the
generations of the heaven and of the earth, when they were created, in the day
that I, the Lord God, made the heaven and the earth,
“And every plant of the field before it was in the earth,
and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all
things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon
the face of the earth” (Moses 3:4–5).
We learn from these verses that the spiritual creation
preceded the temporal creation. In a similar way, meaningful morning prayer is
an important element in the spiritual creation of each day—and precedes the
temporal creation or the actual execution of the day. Just as the temporal
creation was linked to and a continuation of the spiritual creation, so
meaningful morning and evening prayers are linked to and are a continuation of
each other.
Consider this example. There may be things in our character,
in our behavior, or concerning our spiritual growth about which we need to
counsel with Heavenly Father in morning prayer. After expressing appropriate
thanks for blessings received, we plead for understanding, direction, and help
to do the things we cannot do in our own strength alone. For example, as we
pray, we might:
• Reflect on those occasions when we have spoken harshly or
inappropriately to those we love the most.
• Recognize that we know better than this, but we do not
always act in accordance with what we know.
• Express remorse for our weaknesses and for not putting off
the natural man more earnestly.
• Determine to pattern our life after the Savior more
completely.
• Plead for greater strength to do and to become better.
Such a prayer is a key part of the spiritual preparation for
our day.
During the course of the day, we keep a prayer in our heart
for continued assistance and guidance—even as Alma suggested: “Let all thy
thoughts be directed unto the Lord” (Alma 37:36).
We notice during this particular day that there are
occasions where normally we would have a tendency to speak harshly, and we do
not; or we might be inclined to anger, but we are not. We discern heavenly help
and strength and humbly recognize answers to our prayer. Even in that moment of
recognition, we offer a silent prayer of gratitude.
At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our
Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the
blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the
Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus
our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And
our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer.
Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in
between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together
each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years. This is in part how we
fulfill the scriptural admonition to “pray always” (Luke 21:36; 3 Nephi 18:15,
18; D&C 31:12). Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the
highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children.
Prayer becomes meaningful as we remember our relationship to
Deity and heed the admonition to:
“Cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings
be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let
all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy
heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct
thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that
he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let
thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be
lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:36–37; emphasis added).
Principle #2. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we express
heartfelt gratitude.
During our service at Brigham Young University–Idaho, Sister
Bednar and I frequently hosted General Authorities in our home. Our family
learned an important lesson about meaningful prayer as we knelt to pray one
evening with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Earlier in the day Sister Bednar and I had been informed
about the unexpected death of a dear friend, and our immediate desire was to
pray for the surviving spouse and children. As I invited my wife to offer the
prayer, the member of the Twelve, unaware of the tragedy, graciously suggested
that in the prayer Sister Bednar express only appreciation for blessings received
and ask for nothing. His counsel was similar to Alma’s instruction to the
members of the ancient Church “to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in
all things” (Mosiah 26:39). Given the unexpected tragedy, requesting blessings
for our friends initially seemed to us more urgent than expressing thanks.
Sister Bednar responded in faith to the direction she
received. She thanked Heavenly Father for meaningful and memorable experiences
with this dear friend. She communicated sincere gratitude for the Holy Ghost as
the Comforter and for the gifts of the Spirit that enable us to face adversity
and to serve others. Most importantly, she expressed appreciation for the plan
of salvation, for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, for His Resurrection,
and for the ordinances and covenants of the restored gospel which make it
possible for families to be together forever.
Our family learned from that experience a great lesson about
the power of thankfulness in meaningful prayer. Because of and through that
prayer, our family was blessed with inspiration about a number of issues that
were pressing upon our minds and stirring in our hearts. We learned that our
gratefulness for the plan of happiness and for the Savior’s mission of
salvation provided needed reassurance and strengthened our confidence that all
would be well with our dear friends. We also received insights concerning the
things about which we should pray and appropriately ask in faith.
The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced
contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests. As I am blessed
now to pray with apostles and prophets, I find among these modern-day leaders
of the Savior’s Church the same characteristic that describes Captain Moroni in
the Book of Mormon: these are men whose hearts swell with thanksgiving to God
for the many privileges and blessings which He bestows upon His people (see
Alma 48:12). Also, they do not multiply many words, for it is given unto them
what they should pray, and they are filled with desire (see 3 Nephi 19:24). The
prayers of prophets are childlike in their simplicity and powerful because of
their sincerity.
As we strive to make our prayers more meaningful, we should
remember that “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath
kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his
commandments” (D&C 59:21). Let me recommend that periodically you and I
offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for
nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation
with all the energy of our hearts.
Principle #3. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we pray for
others with real intent and a sincere heart.
Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in
our personal lives is good and proper. However, praying earnestly for others,
both those whom we love and those who despitefully use us, is also an important
element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more often in our
prayers enlarges the conduit for revelation, so praying for others with all of
the energy of our souls increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of
the Lord.
We learn a vital lesson from the example of Lehi in the Book
of Mormon. Lehi responded in faith to prophetic instruction and warnings
concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. He then prayed unto the Lord “with all
his heart, in behalf of his people” (1 Nephi 1:5; emphasis added). In answer to
this fervent prayer, Lehi was blessed with a glorious vision of God and His Son
and of the impending destruction of Jerusalem (see 1 Nephi 1:6–9, 13, 18).
Consequently, Lehi rejoiced, and his whole heart was filled because of the
things which the Lord had shown him (see 1 Nephi 1:15). Please note that the
vision came in response to a prayer for others and not as a result of a request
for personal edification or guidance.
The Savior is the perfect example of praying for others with
real intent. In His great Intercessory Prayer uttered on the night before His
Crucifixion, Jesus prayed for His Apostles and all of the Saints.
“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for they are thine. …
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which
shall believe on me through their word; …
“… that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in
them, and I in them” (John 17:9, 20, 26).
During the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He
directed the people to ponder His teachings and to pray for understanding. He
healed the sick, and He prayed for the people using language that could not be
written (see 3 Nephi 17:1–16). The impact of His prayer was profound: “No one
can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray
for us unto the Father” (3 Nephi 17:17). Imagine what it might have been like
to hear the Savior of the world praying for us.
Do our spouses, children, and other family members likewise
feel the power of our prayers offered unto the Father for their specific needs
and desires? Do those we serve hear us pray for them with faith and sincerity?
If those we love and serve have not heard and felt the influence of our earnest
prayers in their behalf, then the time to repent is now. As we emulate the
example of the Savior, our prayers truly will become more meaningful.
We are commanded to “pray always” (2 Nephi 32:9; D&C
10:5; 90:24)—“vocally as well as in [our] heart[s]; … before the world as well
as in secret, in public as well as in private” (D&C 19:28). I testify that
prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all of our
doings, as we express heartfelt gratitude, and as we pray for others with real
intent and a sincere heart.
I witness Heavenly Father lives and that He hears and
answers every earnest prayer. Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Mediator.
Revelation is real. The fulness of the gospel has been restored to the earth in
this dispensation. I so testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
amen.
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