For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.
(2 Nephi 32:8-9)
One thing that I am always forgetting is that God commands us to pray. What a strange commandment. What benefit comes from prayer? I understand don't kill and love one another, but prayer is so simple, and it is such a small action. You can pray without anyone around you even knowing. But we are commanded to pray always, in our homes, throughout our days, and in our secret places. God is your Heavenly Father. He loves you, and He wants you to talk to Him. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ counseled: "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to the Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:6) Personal prayer is essential to our development.
This week we visited a woman who is struggling with her faith. She is so awesome, and it makes me sad to see her in this tough place. She trusted in God to help her as she made changes in her life to become better, and things continued to get worse. Now she questions if God is even there. She feels angry with God, but more so she is mad at herself for being so foolish.
I know that it can be so tough to pray sometimes. There can often be multiple concerns that are holding us back. This woman told us that she did not want to pray. She knows that as missionaries we invite people to make actions that will bring you closer to Heavenly Father. She told us honestly that she will not pray, but we are free to invite her to read scriptures and go to church. Sister Roth and I discussed together what we could do to help this woman to pray.
I thought about my past experiences with prayer. I went a long time without praying when I was in High School. I reached a point where I was in a tough situation and knew that I must pray, but I didn't. The longer I went without praying, the harder it got to try to get myself to. I found myself kneeling by my bed, unable to make myself pray. I ended up in frustrated tears and I gave up and just read a comic book before going to sleep to distract my mind from my feelings. The need to pray grew stronger until I knew that I must pray or choose to turn away from God. I knelt down again and after fighting with myself in silence, I said allowed, "God, please help me to pray."
A few days after that I went to church and came home and read my scriptures. It was easier to read than to pray. I thought a lot about my weakness, and about how mad God must be at me for my lack of gratitude. Then I spiraled down in self pity about how worthless I am and how I can never qualify for any blessings from God. In my whinny state, I thought about Jesus Christ. I thought about His sacrifice and Atonement. I asked myself if I believed that He really paid for the sins of the world. The answer was yes. Well then that would mean that He paid for my sins. Which would mean that I could be forgiven, and receive the strength to be able to pray.
I have a firm belief that through prayer a man can come closer to God. There is no amount of resolving concerns that will lead to a place where it will be easy to pray. With this woman that we are teaching, I know that the trick is for her to just do it! Just pray!! I wanted to tell her, just forget about all the things holding you back for one minute and pray. But I didn't, because I know how rough it can be. There are so many things holding you back. But I promise that every prayer is heard. It is good to go to church and to read the scriptures. Doing these things help you to feel His Spirit. It is a great first step, and I know that as this woman takes these small steps, she will begin to desire to come closer to God. The fastest way to feel Heavenly Father's love for you is to pray to Him and ask Him about it.
The best prayer is one that you truly mean. Offer up the feelings of your heart. If you are having a tough time knowing what to pray for, ask Him what you should pray for. If you are having trouble forgiving your brother, tell Him, and ask Him to help you. I know that God can help. To make your prayers meaningful, you must pray with sincerity and "with all the energy of heart" (Moroni 7:48) Give serious thought to your attitude and to the words you use. Always give thanks to you Heavenly Father. As you take time to remember your blessings, you will recognize how much God has done for you. "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Alma 34:38) Express your thanks to Him. Let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
Prayer is an exercise of faith. Much like waking up early to run two miles, you can sit and think about it without ever getting yourself to act. "I should go run, but I don't want to. It will be good for me, but I would rather sleep. It won't be tough once I'm up, but I can just do it later." Such thoughts will never end. But once you take the step to pray, it gets easier to the next time, and plus, its super good for you!
Trust in the Lord, but always remember to trust in yourself. You have the ability to choose to do right. You have the power to pray with real intent, and when you pray you are showing that you have the faith to turn to God and you can see miracles. Do all that you can to help bring about the things that you pray for. If you have a difficult task, Heavenly Father is pleased if you get on your knees and then get back on your feet and get to work. You will find that you are happier when you turn to God for everything!
I know that the Lord loves you and will bless you always when you take the time to pray to Him. I am looking forward with gladness to see the change that comes into this woman's life from the faith that she has to pray, even when it seems so difficult to. I know that as she overcomes those fears and barriers, she will find herself coming closer to Christ, and she will see how He has been there for her this whole time. He never leaves us, and I promise that prayer is a window to His love, it will help you see His love in every piece of your life!
I have a firm belief that through prayer a man can come closer to God. There is no amount of resolving concerns that will lead to a place where it will be easy to pray. With this woman that we are teaching, I know that the trick is for her to just do it! Just pray!! I wanted to tell her, just forget about all the things holding you back for one minute and pray. But I didn't, because I know how rough it can be. There are so many things holding you back. But I promise that every prayer is heard. It is good to go to church and to read the scriptures. Doing these things help you to feel His Spirit. It is a great first step, and I know that as this woman takes these small steps, she will begin to desire to come closer to God. The fastest way to feel Heavenly Father's love for you is to pray to Him and ask Him about it.
The best prayer is one that you truly mean. Offer up the feelings of your heart. If you are having a tough time knowing what to pray for, ask Him what you should pray for. If you are having trouble forgiving your brother, tell Him, and ask Him to help you. I know that God can help. To make your prayers meaningful, you must pray with sincerity and "with all the energy of heart" (Moroni 7:48) Give serious thought to your attitude and to the words you use. Always give thanks to you Heavenly Father. As you take time to remember your blessings, you will recognize how much God has done for you. "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Alma 34:38) Express your thanks to Him. Let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
Prayer is an exercise of faith. Much like waking up early to run two miles, you can sit and think about it without ever getting yourself to act. "I should go run, but I don't want to. It will be good for me, but I would rather sleep. It won't be tough once I'm up, but I can just do it later." Such thoughts will never end. But once you take the step to pray, it gets easier to the next time, and plus, its super good for you!
Trust in the Lord, but always remember to trust in yourself. You have the ability to choose to do right. You have the power to pray with real intent, and when you pray you are showing that you have the faith to turn to God and you can see miracles. Do all that you can to help bring about the things that you pray for. If you have a difficult task, Heavenly Father is pleased if you get on your knees and then get back on your feet and get to work. You will find that you are happier when you turn to God for everything!
I know that the Lord loves you and will bless you always when you take the time to pray to Him. I am looking forward with gladness to see the change that comes into this woman's life from the faith that she has to pray, even when it seems so difficult to. I know that as she overcomes those fears and barriers, she will find herself coming closer to Christ, and she will see how He has been there for her this whole time. He never leaves us, and I promise that prayer is a window to His love, it will help you see His love in every piece of your life!
So, will you say your prayers tonight?
No comments:
Post a Comment