How do we come to know Thee?

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.) 

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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.