On Saturday January 21st we drove 25 minutes to attend a track meet that Bruno Lima was competing in.
SCRIPTURE POWER
Some thoughts about prayer:
President Marion G. Romney said: “The importance of prayer is emphasized by the fact that the most oft-repeated command given by God to men is to pray.” (“Prayer and Revelation”, Ensign, May 1978)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: "..the secret of gaining answers to prayers is prior obedience to the Lord's [commandments]." (DNTC, Vol. 3, pages 391-392).
The Bible Dictionary states: “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 (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. 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 but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.” (“Prayer”)
Enos first prays “for mine own soul” (Enos 1:4), then “for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites” (Enos 1:9) next “for my brethren, the Lamanites” (Enos 1:11) finally “I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records” (Enos 1:16) “And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing” (Enos 1:18)
After the loss of the 116 pages known as the Book of Lehi, Joseph Smith receives a revelation telling him not to retranslate this book but that “the plates of Nephi..do throw greater views upon my gospel” (D & C 10:45)
“And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people. And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers;
Yea, and this was their faith--that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions. Now, this is not all--their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land; And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life;” (D & C 10: 46-50)
President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “I wonder if we ever stop to think why the Lord has asked us to pray. Did he ask us to pray because he wants us to bow down and worship him? Is that the main reason? I don’t think it is. He is our Heavenly Father, and we have been commanded to worship him and pray to him in the name of his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. But the Lord can get along without our prayers. His work will go on just the same, whether we pray or whether we do not. … Prayer is something that we need, not that the Lord needs. He knows just how to conduct his affairs and how to take care of them without any help from us. Our prayers are not for the purpose of telling him how to run his business. If we have any such idea as that, then of course we have the wrong idea. Our prayers are uttered more for our sakes, to build us up and give us strength and courage, and to increase our faith in him.
Prayer is something that humbles the soul. It broadens our comprehension; it quickens the mind. It draws us nearer to our Father in heaven. We need his help; there is no question about that. We need the guidance of his Holy Spirit. We need to know what principles have been given to us by which we may come back into his presence. We need to have our minds quickened by the inspiration that comes from him; and for these reasons we pray to him, that he may help us to live so that we will know his truth and be able to walk in its light, that we may, through our faithfulness and our obedience, come back again into his presence.” (General Conference, April, 1968)
The brother of Jared was chastised for three hours by the Lord for failing to pray, after which he "repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord" (Ether 2:14–15)
The prophet Mormon warned that if anyone “shall pray and not with real intent of heart … it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such”(Moroni 7:9). To make our prayers meaningful, we must pray with sincerity and “with all the energy of heart”(Moroni 7:48).
Brother William E. Barrett said: “perhaps none of our scriptures are so full of instructions to mankind regarding prayer as is the Book of Mormon. The first page relates a prayer of the Prophet Lehi for his people (1 Ne. 1:5), and the last chapter contains the admonition of the Prophet Moroni to test the truthfulness of the book by prayer (Moroni 10:4)” (Berrett, William E. Teachings of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1952).
Brother Donald W. Parry said: “Nowhere in all of the Book of Mormon is the subject of prayer taught and emphasized in such a concentrated fashion as it is in 3 Nephi 11–20, wherein approximately sixty verses are dedicated to the subject of prayer and some eleven prayers are offered. Noteworthy is the central role that Jesus Christ plays in teaching the concept of prayer to the Nephite multitude. During his stay with the Nephites, Christ gives the Sermon at the Temple (very similar to the Sermon on the Mount) in which he instructs the people how to pray. Later he also gives them the baptismal and sacramental prayers. In addition to teaching the Nephites to pray, Jesus offers numerous prayers to the Father in their behalf.” (“Pray Always”, Learning to pray as Jesus Prayed”)
President David O. McKay said: “Prayer is having “a consciousness that there is something within us which is divine, which is part of the Infinite, which is the offspring of God, and until we can feel that harmony with that Infinite, we have not sensed the power of prayer” (“Treasures of Life”, p. 302)
“the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; . . . the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom 8:26).
The Holy Ghost will actually provide whoever is praying with precise particulars of what to pray for. Such was the state of the Nephite multitude who, while praying, “did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire” (3 Nephi 19:24).(see also D & C 50:30)
“Do not pray as the Zoramites do, for ye have seen that they pray to be heard of men, and to be praised for their wisdom. Do not say: O God, I thank thee that we are better than our brethren; but rather say: O Lord, forgive my unworthiness, and remember my brethren in mercy—yea, acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times.” (Alma 38: 13-14)
“For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.” (2 Ne. 32: 8-9)
Moroni writes the words of his father Mormon who after defining charity as “the pure love of Christ” , exhorts us to “ pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart,” for 5 things:
1. that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ;
2. that ye may become the sons of God;
3. that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is;
4. that we may have this hope;
5. that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.” (Moroni 7:47-48)
