I am giving a talk today and have really enjoyed studying and writing it. I posted it below, mostly for my Mom. Enjoy reading!
In John 17:3 while giving the Intercessory Prayer the Lord
teaches his disciples: “And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast
sent.”
As members of the church and disciples of Jesus Christ
our goal and purpose it to seek out and obtain eternal life. While there are
many steps we must take to obtain exaltation what does it means to “know thee,
the only true God” as we pursue ‘life eternal’. One could restate or logically
follow up this question by asking “How do we come to know God?”
In my home growing up the major portion of our religious
instruction was done by singing primary songs. The Children’s Songbook is
carefully crafted together and is broken up into 8 sequential parts. The first
of these sections is titled “My Heavenly Father.” Many of you know the very first song as it is a
favorite, and it often sung. I am a Child of God. The first thing we must come
to know about our Heavenly Father, is our relationship to him and with him.
Thankfully many of us remember this song and hopefully this principle is firmly
rooted in our being and within our testimony. The next two songs establish the
plan of salvation and that the Father lives. What follows after these first
three songs in this section are of statistical and spiritual significance. The
next 32 songs are about prayer. 90% of the songs in this section are reminders
to pray, examples of prayer, and the promises associated with earnest prayer.
However this section is not titled prayer, it is titled “My Heavenly Father”
The answer to the question “How do we come to know God”
is—Prayer. Life eternal is accomplished through meaningful and sincere prayer.
A simple statement, Prayer has the power to grant us exaltation.
For many of us though it is a struggle to consistently pray with that amount of
power. We know that prayer has power but what can we do make our own prayer powerful.
I would like to outline some elements that give prayer that strength.
Address
and Communicate to our Father
As we pray it is important to remember that we are
actually conversing personally with our Heavenly Father. Heber J. Grant had
several opportunities as a child to sit in family prayer with Brigham Yong. He described
the experiences by saying:
“Upon more than one occasion, because of the inspiration
of the Lord to Brigham Young while he was supplicating God for guidance, I have
lifted my head, turned and looked at the place where Brigham Young was praying,
to see if the Lord was not there. It seemed to me that he talked to the Lord as
one man would talk to another.”
When we pray, our Father is essentially kneeling next to
us listening. Recognize that he is near and express your thoughts accordingly.
Avoid
Repetition
With texting and emails have come a different way of
communicating. I often find myself sending quick texts saying I am on my way, I’ll
call you back in just a minute, or even a simple I love you. Sometimes a cool
picture with a caption might be sent. However considerate, funny, or thoughtful
these texts might be, they are not usually personal and it is not how I would
talk to the person face to face—a deep, meaningful and lasting relationship
cannot be fostered simply on these quick texts back and forth. Consider what
you are saying when you speaking to the Lord as if he were present. Similarly
to my texts there are often repeated phrases we use in our prayers that are
just as about sincere as replying to a text with “LOL”. The use of these
phrases are not usually said to be purposely informal, in fact the opposite may
be true. We often use these phrases in
an effort to sound respectful and proper in prayer; however it is hindering the
actual expression of thanks and what we need. While we frequently ask for food
to ‘nourish and strengthen’ our body, consider looking for new words and thoughts
that will nourish and strengthen your prayers. Richard G. Scott stated, “Don’t
worry about your clumsily expressed feelings. Just talk to your
compassionate, understanding Father. You are His precious child whom He loves
perfectly and wants to help. As you pray, recognize that Father in Heaven is
near and He is listening.” There
are many times when it is appropriate and appreciated to offer a quick prayer
text of thanks for a tender mercy you have received. We are taught to pray
always and these brief expressions of our heart are part of the constant
communication we can have with God. However, said prayers texts should not be
your only source of communication to your Heavenly Father. Take the time
morning and evening to have a unique, personal and significant conversation with
your Father in Heaven.
Eliminate Pride and Submit our Will
In the most powerful and emotional prayer ever given,
our Savior took upon our sins. It allowed mercy and gave us the opportunity for
eternal life. From that prayer we know of but few words he uttered, part of
that being “nevertheless not my will, but
thine, be done.”
If we want to obtain the eternal life granted by that
atoning prayer, we must speak similarly in our prayers for forgiveness and help.
This means offering to Him our will and accepting the life he has planned for
us. Submission of will is key to understanding and
coming to know our Heavenly Father. Neal A. Maxwell said the following in
regards to man’s submission, that it “includes all of our heart, soul,
and mind. The mind must surrender to God too. It is my impression, looking
about the world, that there are comparatively more knees bent in reverence to
God than there are minds bent in reverence to Him. Such human stubbornness
tends to show up in terms of our unwillingness to submit our minds to Him.”
How often do you kneel, pray, ask for help, and repeat ‘if
it be thy will’ but close off in your mind, believing there to be no other
conceivable option but your own. Remember
that we do not just pray with our knees but with our heart and our mind. Or as Russell M. Nelson put it so eloquently “Physical
position is less important than spiritual submission.”
Be Honest and Specific
Submission of will does not mean you cannot be specific
in asking for what you want. In fact as you submit your mind, you will often
find your prayers become more specific as you are prompted by the spirit to ask
for particular things that you need. He will tell you how to improve and what
you need to ask for to get there. Henry B. Eyring spoke about the spirits role
in our prayers saying: “In the sacramental prayers, God promises to send the
Holy Ghost to be with us (see Moroni 4:3; 5:2; D&C 20:77, 79). I have found
in that moment that God can give me what feels like a personal interview. He
brings to my attention what I have done that pleases Him, my need for
repentance and forgiveness, and the names and faces of people He would have me
serve for Him.”
As I teacher I have encountered many children and
parents that test my limits when it comes to patience, knowledge, and love. I
have found that as I pray, specifically naming the person and what I need, I
have been blessed with many a miracle as I respond to different situations.
It is okay to ask for something that you want and it is
okay to be answered with a “No”. This does not mean that your desire is
necessarily unrighteous, it does not mean that your God no longer loves you, it
just means NO. A prayer with a denied
request does not mean it is without power. Elder Nelson recounted, “When the Prophet
Joseph Smith was held in Liberty Jail, he pled for relief. His prayers were
answered with an explanation: “All these things shall give thee experience, and
shall be for thy good” Consider the power, strength, and knowledge given after
this request in the words recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 121. (Which happens
to be one of my personal favorite sections of scripture.)
---
To quote the words of one of those 32 primary songs
mentioned at the beginning.
“If with all your hearts ye truly seek me, Ye shall ever
surely find me, thus saith our God.”
Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to obtain eternal
life and live in his presence with him again. To do this we must be willing to
create a relationship with him and get to know him while we are here on earth.
We do this with pray. It is my testimony to you that he lives, that he hears
our prayers, that there is power in those prayers that grant us peace,
knowledge, and miracles in our earthly life and that through the priesthood and
the prayers uttered as we partake of ordinances and make everlasting covenants
we can have peace, knowledge and the miracle of eternal life.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
