When Elder Eyring shared his personal experiences with prayer in General Conference, it really made me start to think about prayer. Prayer is an extremely personal experience, a chance for each individual to communicate with God. While I pray several times a day, I must admit that my prayers are not always the deep meaningful communication that they ought to be.
In the Bible Dictionary it says, “Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. 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 . . .” When I read this for the first time, I was struck by the power of those words. Prayer is a chance that we each have to bring our hearts and lives in line with what God would have us do.
It also reminds me of Enos in the Book of Mormon. Enos says of this experience “And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens” Enos 1:4. When Enos prayed he spent hours on his knees praying. It was not an easy experience.
For me it is difficult to let go of my wants and desires in order to embrace the path that God wants me to follow. There have been a few times in my life when I have been able to do this. Each time that I’ve been able to let go and put my complete trust in the Lord. Each time it has come after a long struggle, and it takes me letting go and completely trusting that the Lord will open the doors at the right time. And He always has.
So how can we help prayer become this deeply moving and wonderful experience? It is important that we allow ourselves time to pray. It is also important to find a quiet place to pray. Prior to prayer it is good to meditate on the problems you are seeking answers to. Studying the scriptures and talks from conference can also help. Attending the temple and fasting will also help you to be in tune with the Spirit. As you pray, remember to express gratitude, and then simply speak with your Heavenly Father. It is important to spend time listening. Answers will come, not always in the way that you expect, or the ones you want, or in the timeframe that you want, but they will come.