Ch. 8: Praying to Our Heavenly Father

from Gospel Principles:

Prayer is one of the greatest blessing we have while we are here on earth. Through prayer we can communicate with our Heavenly Father and seek His guidance daily. Jesus taught, "Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name" (3Nep 28:29).

Prayer will help us draw closer to God. We can pray for many reasons like: for strength to resist the temptations of Satan and his followers; to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness; for the Lord's guidance and help in our daily lives; for protection; to express love to our Father and to feel closer to Him; to thank Him; for families, friends, animals, crops, daily work, and our other activities; and so on.

We should pray in faith, "with a sincere heart, with real intent" (Moroni 10:4). We can do this anytime with need to communicate with Father, whether silently or vocally, in privately or in a group, standing or kneeling, etc. We should each pray privately and as a family every day and night.

Our sincere prayers are always answered, but perhaps not in a matter we might want or understand. Our prayers are always answered at a time and in a way that the Lord knows will help us the most. Hence, we must pray to God and to no one else (Exodus 20:3-5) so we may be righteous in our thoughts, words, and actions. ~Keep in mind, you may be an instrument in answering someone else's prayer so pray, listen, and act.

P.S. See previous post here about "how to pray".

How to pray

I decided to start my scripture studies from the book "Preach My Gospel". The first thing I highlighted in this book was the statement that an "Effective daily study must always begin with prayer" (pg.17). Well, I think generally people know how to pray, but many years ago I as an investigator receiving missionary lessons, I came to learn of a structure of prayer. I learned to kneel, fold my arms, bow my head, close my eyes, then begin by addressing Heavenly Father "Our Father in Heaven, ...". After which, give thanks, make requests/ask questions, then close "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen". Doing this at least in the beginning and at the end of the day. Through the years I've learned further principles found in "Gospel Topics: Prayer" such as pray with meaning by praying with sincerity, real intent, and avoiding vain repetitions. Moreover, using language that shows love and respect like thee, thou, thy, and thine to address God to bring about closeness. Also, to seek guidance and strength and remembering needs of others. Likewise, when making requests we must do all we can to assist in its being granted, eg. if you request to find a job, you must do leg work to try to find one! In sum, prayer is a communication with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. Our prayers should be heartfelt and actively awaiting for His reply.

Preach My Gospel, pg 39
Prayer:
*Address "Our Father in Heaven, ..."
*Express the feelings of your heart (gratitude, questions, requests)
*Close "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen"