One of my favorite lessons from the Spencer W. Kimball manual this year was “Prayer, the Passport to Spiritual Power.” He states: “I always have very tender feelings about prayers and the power and blessings of prayer.” He then relates the story of a time he visited New Zealand and fell ill. He was scheduled to speak at a conference, but worried that he would have to cancel. At nearly seven o’clock, he arose from his bed, got dressed, and hurried to the place where the meeting was to be held. He entered the arena to the sound of applause – those gathered had been praying for him to be healed and asked the Lord to deliver him to the arena. Their prayers were answered in a miraculous way.
The lesson goes on to say that prayer is not optional – it’s one of the basics of our religion. We are nothing without our Heavenly Father. We have no control over our lives or our deaths, but He has all power and we should pray to Him in our behalf. We all are under obligation to the Lord. Just as obedience to the law of chastity is a commandment, so is prayer a commandment.
Our prayers should be humble requests for the things we need, as well as heartfelt gratitude expressed for the blessings we have already received. We should pray for our leaders, both spiritual and political. We should pray for our missionaries, working so hard to bring others to the knowledge of the Gospel. We should also pray for wisdom, understanding, protection, for our marriages and children – for anything that concerns us.
But prayer alone is not enough. We should follow our prayers with demonstrations of kindness and charity to those around us. As it reads in Alma 34:28, our expressions of charity are crucial, otherwise our prayers availeth us nothing.
When we pray, we should find a private place where we can truly talk to the Lord. We should not try to hide anything from Him or to deceive Him in any way – He knows everything and to be less than honest with Him is foolish. After speaking to Him, we should listen quietly for His answer. Prayer is a privilege and we should give it the attention and time it deserves. Prayer is not a one-way communication. He will respond to us.
We must also teach our children to pray and have family prayer often. It is a protection to them. We wouldn’t send our children out into a storm without a coat – as we pray together, we are protecting them from other, just as dangerous, elements.
At the conclusion of the lesson, we are given a promise from the prophet that as we attend to our prayers, we will be given a testimony that we are being heard. What a wonderful promise that is.
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