Making your prayers more meaningful. Alma 37:37
Principle #1: Counsel with the Lord in all our doings.
When we recognize the relationship between ourselves and Heavenly Father, prayer becomes more comfortable and instinctive. He is our Father and we are his children. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable things that bring joy and eternal life. As we recognize that everything was created spiritually before they were made temporally, morning prayer becomes the spiritual creation of your day. During the day, we receive strength from our morning prayer. This strength is the answer to our prayer and personal revelation. By recognizing Heavenly Father's answer, we can offer a silent prayer of gratitude, thus keeping "a prayer in our heart" during our daily activities. At the end of the day, we report back to Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks and gratitude. We repent and with the assistance of the Spirit, identify ways we can do better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon our morning prayer and then prepares us for our next morning prayer. They are all related, linked together, helping us to obtain perfection.
Principle #2: Heartfelt Gratitude
The most meaningful and spiritual prayers can be prayers which contain many thanks and few requests. Elder Bednar recommends that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing. Simply let your soul rejoice, striving to communicate appreciation with all the energy of your heart.
Principle #3: Pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.
Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal life is good and proper. However, praying for others, both those who love us and those who despitefully use us is also an important element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more enlarges the conduit for revelation, so does praying for others with all our energy.
Our prayers can be more meaningful when we pray always, counsel with the Lord in all our doings, express heartfelt gratitude and pray for others. The prayers of the prophets are childlike in their simplicity and powerful because of their sincerity.
Principle #1: Counsel with the Lord in all our doings.
When we recognize the relationship between ourselves and Heavenly Father, prayer becomes more comfortable and instinctive. He is our Father and we are his children. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable things that bring joy and eternal life. As we recognize that everything was created spiritually before they were made temporally, morning prayer becomes the spiritual creation of your day. During the day, we receive strength from our morning prayer. This strength is the answer to our prayer and personal revelation. By recognizing Heavenly Father's answer, we can offer a silent prayer of gratitude, thus keeping "a prayer in our heart" during our daily activities. At the end of the day, we report back to Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks and gratitude. We repent and with the assistance of the Spirit, identify ways we can do better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon our morning prayer and then prepares us for our next morning prayer. They are all related, linked together, helping us to obtain perfection.
Principle #2: Heartfelt Gratitude
The most meaningful and spiritual prayers can be prayers which contain many thanks and few requests. Elder Bednar recommends that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing. Simply let your soul rejoice, striving to communicate appreciation with all the energy of your heart.
Principle #3: Pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.
Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal life is good and proper. However, praying for others, both those who love us and those who despitefully use us is also an important element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more enlarges the conduit for revelation, so does praying for others with all our energy.
Our prayers can be more meaningful when we pray always, counsel with the Lord in all our doings, express heartfelt gratitude and pray for others. The prayers of the prophets are childlike in their simplicity and powerful because of their sincerity.
I happened upon your blog while preparing my own TFOT lesson, "Pray Always". It's beautiful! What an inspired idea. :)
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