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 thee openly. Prayer is very personal. It is sacred communication with deity.
In a recent "Face to Face" broadcast with the youth of the Church, President Eyring and Elder Holland shared some thoughts about how to have more meaningful prayers. One of my friends recently wrote about some of Elder Holland's suggestions in a blog post. One suggestion was: "Picture yourself literally going before the throne of God. Remember who you're talking to! Really take prayer seriously. Take time once in a while to kneel in the middle of the room, not leaning up against a chair or bed, and just kneel there for a while before starting your prayer until you feel worthy to approach the throne of God" (https://thethingswecanlearn.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/making-the-time-on-your-knees-count/). What a powerful practice! When I pray, do I remember that I am kneeling before the God of the universe--a omniscient and omnipotent being? So far, I have tried this once since the broadcast. It reminded me of the importance of being reverent and listening for spiritual promptings. Another suggestion was to make sure our minds our clear and conscious when we pray. Elder Holland explained that he and Sister Holland used to set an earlier time in the evening to say their night time prayers as a couple, so they weren't as tired during the prayer. Both of Elder Holland's suggestions are ways that we can demonstrate to God that we take prayer and revelation seriously. My most sacred experiences with prayer have occurred when I really wanted an answer. Jesus explained that the first great commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). I believe that the most meaningful prayers occur when we pray with all our hearts, souls, and minds. (This is why fasting, which constantly reminds us of our dependency on God, is so powerful.) Enos wrestled before God in prayer (Enos 1:2). Alma the younger fasted and prayed for many days (Alma 5:36). Jesus went into the mountains, where he could be free from distractions and feel closer to God, to pray (Matthew 14:23). Making my prayers more meaningful is a lifelong process. My desire is that I can come to see God as he really is and be receptive to his personal direction for me. I hope to make meaningful prayer a central part of my life and the lives of my family.
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But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Love my enemies? Bless people that curse men? Do good to people that hate me? Pray for people that despite me, use me, harass me, and victimize me? Those are not easy commandments! But that is what the Lord asks of us.
As always, Jesus Christ is the perfect example of his teachings. While hanging on the cross, as he beheld his malefactors casting lots on his clothing, Jesus humbly spoke the words, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And he completely meant it. If Christ can forgive those who crucified him, can I forgive those who wrong me? Can I forgive myself? I hope to look to Christ's example, acknowledge that we are all brothers and sisters, and freely and completely forgive. The Roman philosopher Seneca (4 BC to AD 65) once wrote, “If thou wouldst imitate God, do good even to the unthankful, for the sun rises even on the wicked, and the seas are open to pirates" (http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-45.htm). God is not a respecter of persons. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. God cares a lot about how honest and truthful I am in my communications with others. As an omniscient God, he knows every time we make even the smallest white lies.
In Jesus day, many forms of oaths were used, some more binding than others. This allowed people to make subtle, dishonest variations in their truthfulness (see http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-33.htm). God does not allow this. He requires honesty with exactness. I have two favorite quotes about honesty that I have pondered for many years. President Gordon B. Hinckley once taught, "Some may regard the quality of character known as honesty to be a most ordinary subject. But I believe it to be the very essence of the gospel. Without honesty, our lives and the fabric of our society will disintegrate into ugliness and chaos" (https://www.lds.org/ensign/1990/10/we-believe-in-being-honest). Dishonesty has significant ramifications. (Which reminds me of a VeggieTales movie about an ever-enlarging fib monster. But that's a story for another day... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nydi62P7zHQ) My second favorite quote about honesty comes from the legendary Highland high school rugby coach Larry Gelwix, who taught, "The essence of a lie is not the words you choose, but the message you convey." In other words, being honest is more than just saying things that are technically truthful. It means conveying a truthful, accurate representation in everything you do and say. I am grateful for Jesus Christ's teachings about honesty and his perfect example of applying the principles of honesty and integrity. Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his [the prophet, Joseph Smith] words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me. For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth [see D&C 1:38], in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." God promises me amazing blessings on the condition that I follow the prophets:
1. The gates of hell shall not prevail against me. 2. The Lord will disperse the powers of darkness from before me. 3. The heavens will shake for my good, and for the good of the prophet. A friend recently asked me what it means to have the heavens shake for our good. The first thought that comes to mind is the scripture Malachi 3:8, where the Lord promises Malachi that if he will pay his tithes, the Lord will "open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Similarly, by following the prophet, I believe that the Lord will "shake" down a bounty of blessings upon us. In Psalms 68:8, we read that the "earth shook ... at the presence of God." Perhaps "shaking" is symbolic of the manifestation of deity. As we follow the prophet--the Lord's mouthpiece--we feel the Holy Ghost. Isaiah 13:13 speaks of God shaking the heavens as punishment on the evil, rather than for their good: "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." From this, we learn that the effect of the heaven and earth shaking (whether symbolically, or literally--as at Christ's death and before the Second Coming) depends on the person's righteousness. Isaiah 24:17 has a similar message, but specifically refers to the windows of heaven: "And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake." Joel 3:16 provides additional description of the heavens and earth shaking at the last days: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." Despite the turmoil of the last days, the Lord provides hope and strength. As we consciously strive to follow the prophet, we are protected from the adversary's latter-day attacks, and receive an outpouring of blessings, shaken from heaven for our good. "Whosoever shall do and teach [the commandments], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. God is very grateful for those who preach his gospel. He blesses missionaries in this life, and in the life to come. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Leaving the gift at the alter may appear to be a "breach of liturgical propriety," but a sacrifice unfinished is better than "a wrong unconfessed and unatoned for," and better than the sin of unforgiving (http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-24.htm).
To be forgiven by Jesus, we must forgive others. As Jesus instructed in modern times, "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10). Forgiveness can be hard, but it is always worth it. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus explained the magnificent blessings given to those who believe, follow, and defend him. At this time in your life, which blessing is most important to you?
The blessings that stand out most to me at this time are to be comforted, have mercy, and be called the children of God. In order to receive these blessings, I must mourn (especially with those that mourn - see Romans 12:15), be merciful, and be a peacemaker.
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For anyone interested, I have a professional blog titled The Instructional Designer's Toolkit where I share tools and inspiration for instructional designers and e-learning developers.
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