Prayer

How do we gain help from the higher source of strength? Even I know the answer to this question—prayer. I have been asked to speak on, “How do we gain help from the higher source of strength” I was assigned a talk by President James E Faust. I will also try and find reasons to agree with the belief that we need to pray, as well as reasons to agree with specific advice that James E Faust gives.

First I want to tell you a little bit about James E. Faust.

When he received his call to be a General Authority. His wife Ruth explained, “We had a special family home evening, including the only grandchild back then. Jim went around the circle and told the children what was unique about them and how they were special individually. Then he told them about his call, stressing that if he were not a good father, he could not succeed as a General Authority, adding, ‘I am never going to be released from my calling as a father or a grandfather.’

Before becoming a General Authority James E. Faust was a lawyer, a member of his State Legislature and was named to a Constitutional Revision Commission, which is some evidence he was a good lawyer. One of his clients was the catholic church.

After high school, where he won medals as a track star at Granite High School and lettered in football, his higher education at the University of Utah, where he ran the 440 and mile relay, was interrupted twice—once to serve as a missionary in Brazil for thirty-three month(2 years & 11 month for you non-mathematicians) s and later to serve in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II.

His deep devotion to Ruth may be gauged by the fact that, while they were separated during World War II, he wrote a letter every day to her. The letters arrived irregularly, and one day Ruth Faust received ninety letters; her employer thoughtfully let her have the afternoon off to go home and read them! This exemplary love and respect have deepened, as daughter Lisa observed: “My dad has always made it very clear how much he loves my mother and respects womanhood. He has always treated her with a sweet tenderness.” This priority is confirmed by son James H. Faust: “My parents have implemented a philosophy that their children’s spouses should be treated better than the children. … It has had the effect of creating a love for Mom and Dad in the spouses of the children which nears or equals the love which they have for their own parents.”

In his conference talk on prayer he said, “As we pray we should think of our Father in Heaven as possessing all knowledge, understanding, love, and compassion.”

I know thinking of the characteristics of the person I am prying to can change my prayers, and change who I am.

President Faust says, “Silent prayers of the heart… reach to heaven. We sing, “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed.” Sincere prayers come from the heart. Indeed, sincerity requires that we draw from the earnest feelings of our hearts when we pray rather than using vain repetitions or pretentious affectations such as those condemned by the Savior in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. Our prayers then truly become the “song of the heart” and “a prayer,” not only reaching God but touching the hearts of others as well.

I believe this is telling us that we should be honest in our prayers, not that we have to be amazingly profound or bring people to tears, or amaze them with our brilliance of our prayers. In fact Mathew records the following on prayer

And when thou prayest, though shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward the openly.

And I guess that is the important thing is what is in our hearts. When we pray we should be thinking of the person we are speaking to, not those around us.

President Faust agrees that our prayers don’t always have to be profound. He says, “Prayers vary in their intensity. Even the Savior “prayed more earnestly” in His hour of agony. Some prayers are simple expressions of appreciation and requests for a continuation of blessings on our loved ones and us. However, in times of great personal hurt or need, more may be required than mere asking. The Lord said, “You have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.” Blessings sought through prayer sometimes require work, effort, and diligence on our part.

For example, at times fasting is appropriate as a strong evidence of our sincerity.

We are privileged to pray daily for the small and great concerns in our lives.

When we are not crying directly unto God, we should let our hearts be drawn out in prayer unto Him continually.

Amulek’s counsel in our day might be the heartfelt prayer of a wife: “Bless Jason and keep him safe as he serves our country in this time of war.” The prayer of a mother: “Please bless dear Jane that she will make the right choices.” The prayer of a father: “Heavenly Father, bless Johnny in his missionary labors, that doors will be opened for him, and that he’ll find the honest in heart.” The lisping, basic prayer of a child, “that I won’t be naughty today,” or “that everybody will have plenty to eat,” or “that Mommy will get well soon.” These are sublime prayers that resound in the eternal mansions above. God knows our needs better than we can state them, 15 but He wants us to approach Him in faith to ask for blessings, safety, and comfort.

The Savior counseled that we should pray for those who “despitefully use” us. 19 This principle is often overlooked in our prayers. The Prophet Joseph Smith understood it clearly. His petitions were fervent, his motives pure, and the blessings of heaven regular.

Daniel Tyler, an associate of the Prophet, recalled an important occasion: “At the time William Smith and others rebelled against the Prophet at Kirtland, … I attended a meeting … where ‘Joseph’ presided. Entering the school-house a little before the meeting opened, and gazing upon the man of God, I perceived sadness in his countenance and tears trickling down his cheeks. … A few moments later a hymn was sung and he opened the meeting by prayer. Instead of facing the audience, however, he turned his back and bowed upon his knees, facing the wall. This, I suppose, was done to hide his sorrow and tears.

This is me talking, but I love stories like this about Joseph. Sometimes at church individuals can analyze every little thing you do Joseph wasn’t bound by convention. He was complete comfortable with his relationship with God, and when talking to god he ignored those around him.

“I had heard men and women pray—especially the former—from the most ignorant, both as to letters and intellect, to the most learned and eloquent, but never until then had I heard a man address his Maker as though He was present listening as a kind father would listen to the sorrows of a dutiful child. Joseph was at that time unlearned, but that prayer, which was to a considerable extent in behalf of those who accused him of having gone astray and fallen into sin, was that the Lord would forgive them and open their eyes that they might see aright—that prayer, I say, to my humble mind, partook of the learning and eloquence of heaven. There was no ostentation, no raising of the voice as by enthusiasm, but a plain conversational tone, as a man would address a present friend. It appeared to me as though, in case the vail were taken away, I could see the Lord standing facing His humblest of all servants I had ever seen. … It was the crowning … of all the prayers I ever heard.”

It is my hope that we will use our god given lifeline when we need help: prayer. I am grateful for the instruction that I have received about prayer. I am grateful that I never have to feel embarrassed that I don’t say smart things to maintain an image when I pray in front of others. I know that God knows when I am thinking of him, and he knows if my prayers are sincere. I am grateful to know that if God feels this way about prayer that he feels this way about other things. This has helped me feel confident at church. It is the one place were my performance is not as important as what is in my heart. I’m not trying to make an argument against excilence, but when thinking about it recently I have been very greatful that church is one of the only places that I can be my true self. I can talk about my religions feelings at church, and maybe everyone doesn’t think I’m a great guy, or even think that I’m trying, but by having honest prayers with God, I feel that he has accepted the true me. So I’m grateful for the advice that Mormons receive to be sincere in our prayer, and not to just repeat something from someone else. I have a testimony that as you pray, you will be lead to God, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.