Several verses in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount focus on prayer. This should be no surprise, as prayer is an important and integral part of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. In our earthly relationships, communication is essential or the relationship is nonexistent; it should be no surprise that it conversation is equally required in our relationship with our Lord. But we must always remember that, just as conversation is two-way, prayer also involves us speaking and listening. If we omit the part of the prayer where we receive revelation and inspiration from our Father, the prayer is incomplete.
Most terrestrial relationships require fine-tuning, particularly when it comes to communication. A mother of a teenager recently told me that the number one complaint by parents is that their kids don’t listen; ironically, the number one complaint by kids is that their parents don’t listen.
We are blessed with a perfect Father in Heaven who always listens to our pleadings. He may not respond in the way we desire, but He does listen. We must always remember that His will must be done, because He knows what is best for us. Perhaps the Jews were frustrated because they did not always receive what they asked for; this may be why the apostles feared they would respond that “God, we know, heard Moses and some of the prophets; but us he will not hear” (JST Matthew 7:14). They went on to proclaim that the law would be sufficient to save them, since their Heavenly Father did not desire to hear them.
Christ then noted that we, as wicked, mortal, limited humans, listen and give gifts to our children. How much more, then, will our Heavenly Father bless us when we ask? Christ notes that if our children ask for bread, we will not give them stones; if they ask for fish, we will not give them serpents (Matthew 7:9-10). At the same time, if our children ask for a serpent, will we hand them a poisonous viper? No. Will they pout and sulk and scream? If they are little, most likely (and you may get some sulking even if your kids are grown). But we will not give them something that would harm them, even if they say ‘please’. Nor will our Father give us something that might be physically or spiritually detrimental.
Finally, as we pray, we need to avoid ‘vain repetitions’ (Matthew 6:7). Christ then proceeds to give us the model for our prayer. Please note that this is a model, and not a prayer to be repeated verbatim. He begins the prayer by addressing the Father reverently and respectfully. He then acknowledges that it is the Lord’s will that needs to be done, rather than His own. He asks for the things necessary for temporal sustenance, then addresses the subject of forgiveness. In our prayers, we should take a moment to both forgive those we might be carrying ill feelings towards and to ponder what sins we stand in need of repenting of. He then asks for divine guidance and inspiration to avoid sin, and closes by again acknowledging the power and glory of the Father. (Matthew 6:9-13, be sure to see the JST in the footnote of verse 13)
Prayer is an integral and important part of our spiritual development. Although our Father already knows all things we stand in need of, He has given us the means to ask Him. When we pray, we express our desires. They are no longer random thoughts or “gosh, I should do that”s. Instead, we are able to voice the things we truly want to change in our lives and in ourselves. We should be sure to listen for His promptings, and be prepared to act as necessary to fulfill our prayers. As we seek to converse with Him on a frequent basis, we will draw closer to Him in our hearts and in our souls.
Related Articles:
Primary Time: Teaching Children About Personal Prayer
Using Personal Prayer to Listen to the Lord
Five Ideas to Help with Family Prayer
Gospel Doctrine: Pride and Charity (also from this week)