Prayer

I have been thinking a lot lately about prayer and fasting.  I'm grateful for its power and the reminder today by our bishop to learn to pray effectively and fervently.  He told us to:

• Live righteously and don't block the connection to the Spirit in our lives with distractions.
• Pray morning, noon, and night.  Plan, make it a priority, have it be a continuous conversation.
• Pray simply and with gratitude and testimony.
• Ponder carefully what to pray for, prepare ahead of time, organize your thoughts, seek His will.  President Eyring taught: "I have had prayers answered. Those answers were most clear when what I wanted was silenced by an overpowering need to know what God wanted. It is then that the answer from a loving Heavenly Father can be spoken to the mind by the still, small voice and can be written on the heart."
• Pray boldly, out loud, fervently, wrestle, cry unto Him, ASK!  If we want specific answers we need to prepare and ask specific questions.
• Answers come in different ways - sometimes immediately as we ask, sometimes as we fast and pray for a long time, and sometimes the answer is no.  Sometimes the Lord expects us to make our own decision.  We should use the scriptures and our agency.
• Prayer brings us to our Heavenly Father.  What a wonderful blessing to be able to speak to Him!

Here are a few other talks I've enjoyed about prayer:

• Priesthood and Personal Prayer - Henry B. Eyring, April 2015
• Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority - Richard G. Scott, October 2014
• Where Is Thy Pavilion? - Henry B. Eyring, October 2012
• The Spirit of Revelation - David A. Bednar, April 2011
• Prayer and Promptings - Boyd K. Packer, October 2009 
• To Acquire Spiritual Guidance - Richard G. Scott, October 2009
• Lessons from the Lord’s Prayers - Russell M. Nelson, April 2009
• Pray Always - David A. Bednar, October 2008
• Ask in Faith - David A. Bednar, April 2008
• Personal Revelation:The Teachings and Examples of the Prophets - Robert D. Hales, October 2007
• Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer - Richard G. Scott, April 2007
• Sweet Power of Prayer - Russell M. Nelson, April 2003
• The Lifeline of Prayer - James E. Faust, April 2002
• Prayer - Henry B. Eyring, October 2001
• “Write Upon My Heart” - Henry B. Eyring, October 2000
• “Look to God and Live” - Jeffrey R. Holland, October 1993
• The Language of Prayer - Dallin H. Oaks, April 1993
• The Power of Prayer - Thomas S. Monson, April 1991
• Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayers - Richard G. Scott, October 1989
• Patterns of Prayer - Bruce R. McConkie, April 1984
• "Our Father Which Art in Heaven" - L. Tom Perry, October 1983
• The Power of Family Prayer - John H. Groberg, April 1982
• Prayers and Answers - Boyd K. Packer, October 1979
• “We Need a Listening Ear” - Spencer W. Kimball, October 1979
• The Prayer of Faith - Thomas S. Monson, April 1978
• “Hallowed Be Thy Name” - Howard W. Hunter, October 1977
• Prayer - Ezra Taft Benson, April 1977
• The Importance of Prayer - N. Eldon Tanner, April 1974
• The Importance of Prayer - Franklin D. Richards, April 1972