Prayer
Prayer is one of the greatest and underused tools given to us in this life. A great reassurance to many is that prayer is a commandment--no need worrying about your unworthiness to talk to God! No matter how "bad" you have been, He commands you to call on Him, to thank Him, ask for blessings, for guidance, and for forgiveness. The scriptures teach that
"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 perfomance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." (2 Nephi 32:8-9 Book of Mormon)
What should you pray for?
We are commanded to pray for all things that we need--both material and spiritual needs.
For food and for faith, shelter and salvation.
We should also give thanks in our prayers and try to recognize the many blessings given by God's hand. "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth ahall be added unto him, even an hundredfold, yea, more." (Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Mormons)
Are prayers answered?
Always! But not always in the time frame or manner you may have expected. "And it
shall be done in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will." (Doctrine
and Covenants 88:68 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Mormons) If
you knew what God knows, you would agree that His timing and His ways are the best.
Sometimes after a trial, you are able to look back, to understand, and feel deep gratitude
for the way things turned out. You understand that whatever suffering you had to endure
brought worthwhile blessings--or could have if you had exercised greater faith.
Some answers to prayers come in the form of "No." or "Not yet." or "Keep asking and I will grant your request."
Many use the fact that all prayers are not answered immediately as evidence that God does not live or that prayers are not answered. It's no surprise that such opinions are held by those who have not learned otherwise by their own effort and experience. Experience also shows that many prayers are instantaneously and miraculously granted.
Can prayers change God's will?
No. But certain blessings are reserved for you when you pray with faith. The purpose of
withholding certain blessings until you ask for them (sometimes for a long time) is to
teach you faith, patience, endurance, and help you to see the connection between your
asking and God's answering. Continue to ask for what you want, but also seek to learn
God's will and ask accordingly. Sometimes your requests are granted even when they're not
according to God's will, but these things will not provide you the greatest happiness or
long term success.
Prayer should be accompanied by obedience and charity
If you are seeking to live the gospel to the best of your ability, then your chances of
gaining answers to your prayers are greatly increased. The Lord has repeatedly told us
that if we are slow to hear Him, then He will be slow to hear us. Also, if we seek to do
our part to help and serve others, we will find Him more willing to supply our needs.
Successful prayer requires that we develop faith, and faith is demonstrated by your
choices, actions, and the desires of your heart.