God is our Heavenly Father. We are His children. He has a body of flesh and bone that is glorified and perfected. He loves us. He understands and feels our sorrows and rejoices in our progress. He wants to communicate with us, and we can communicate with Him through sincere prayer. (Preach My Gospel p.31)
President Russell M. Nelson said, “In this day of computers, phones, and pagers, people communicate with one another better than ever before. Even so, good communication is often lacking…. We should pray in accord with the will of our Heavenly Father. He wants to test us, to strengthen us, and to help us achieve our full potential…
…How you deal with life’s trials is part of the development of your faith. Strength comes when you remember that you have a divine nature, an inheritance of infinite worth.”
Elder Ian S. Ardern counselled, “Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text.”
Elder Kevin W. Pearson taught, “The divine invitation to pray unto the Father in the name of Christ is the single most mentioned commandment in all recorded scripture and is the most basic form of personal worship…. To pray is to speak with God, the Eternal Father of our spirits—not at Him but with Him. He loves each of us unconditionally and is full of mercy and perfect understanding.” (The Power of Personal Prayer)
Reading:
1 Nephi 17:36
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.
3 Nephi 14: 7-11
7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Alma 37:37
37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Ponder:
“To meditate and think deeply, often upon the scriptures or other things of God. When combined with prayer, pondering the things of God may bring revelation and understanding.” (Guide to the Scriptures – Ponder)
Why does God want us to pray?
What do we hope God can do for us?
What are we willing to do to receive our answer?
Write:
Each day write down a thought. It doesn’t have to be long and can be kept in a private journal, kept on notes in a phone, emailed to you or a friend, written as a private message to someone or posted publicly on any social media channel. It could be a doodle on paper, an Instagram story, Facebook post or TicTok video, however you like. You will be blessed for remembering.
Elder Richard G. Scott taught us to “Write down in a secure place the important things you learn from the Spirit. You will find that as you write down precious impressions, often more will come. Also, the knowledge you gain will be available throughout your life.”
