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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