In April of 1974, President N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor in the First Presidency, gave a talk entitled “The Importance of Prayer.” He discussed the Lord’s prayer and the pattern presented. He elaborates on the various aspects of that great prayer, and how we need to not only apply prayer in our daily lives but live the very things we are praying for.
President Tanner starts off by bearing his testimony of the newly called prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball. This alone makes it an interesting and uplifting talk to read, especially since we are studying President Kimball’s teachings this year in Relief Society and Elder’s Quorum. He also reminds the church that we ought be following the counsel of our living prophet.
After touching on the Lord’s atoning sacrifice, which the church would soon be celebrating when Easter arrived a few weeks after Conference, President Tanner then addresses the church on the manner of prayer that Jesus modeled for us. He reminds us that the Lord’s Prayer was given not to be exactly replicated, but as an example of the way we are to address our Father in Heaven.
President Tanner proceeds to break down the Lord’s prayer, line by line. We are to address God as our divine Father, and to keep His name holy and sacred. He reminds us that the only way the Lord’s kingdom will come upon this earth is by the members of the church living the commandments and building up that kingdom. He refers to D&C 65:2, 5-6, when the Lord states that the keys of the kingdom are committed, and the gospel shall roll forth as seen by Daniel. But we must be willing to do our part. President Tanner states that “(m)y father said to me when I was a boy, ‘If you want your prayers to be answered, you’d better get on your feet and go to work.’ There is no use praying for the kingdom to come and his will to be done unless we are prepared to do something about it.” In short, we need to be sure that our lives are our prayers in action.
He then discusses how we rely upon the Lord for our daily needs. All things come from God, and He blesses us abundantly. We should make sure that we put the many blessings He provides us with to good use. Furthermore, President Tanner reminds us that God has given us scriptures and modern day prophets so that we are not deceived by evil. In following Christ’s teachings, we are given strength, and “will be delivered from evil because we will not be associating ourselves with evil or putting ourselves in a position where we will be tempted to do that which is wrong.”
We then are admonished to forgive all men their trespasses against us. The Savior showed us the best example of forgiveness when He forgave those who crucified Him. We, too, must be sure to forgive those who wrong us. We also must be sure that we repent of our sins, so that the Lord can forgive us.
Finally, we are to close our prayers as Christ did, with a reminder that all we seek for is the Father’s. We must be willing to accept His will in all things, and submit before Him.
This is a wonderful talk that really elaborates on the manner of prayer Christ taught His disciples. I love the examples and the testimony President Tanner shares throughout the talk. Sometimes, we might find our prayers becoming a bit more casual or mechanical. President Tanner encourages us to truly ponder the meaning and blessings of our prayers.
Related Articles:
Gospel Doctrine: Men Ought Always to Pray
Gospel Doctrine: Cry Day and Night
General Conference: Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer