Communicating with God

 "Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil." -Pres. Boyd K. Packer Ensign Nov. 1994

Pretty powerful statement huh? The lock is right in front of us. If I want to get to heaven, I must pray. In 3 Nephi chatper 18 (v.15-18), the Savior counsels the Nephites, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.

 And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.

 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." Satan wants me. He can't have me if I'm praying to my Father in Heaven. Let me repeat that one more time. Satan wants me. He really does. But guess what? He won't have anything on me if I pray. My Father in Heaven wants me MORE. The Savior says it TWICE in those verses. Must be important right?? Pretty important if the Savior said it. :)

 I've been studying prayer a lot lately. Trying to strengthen my relationship with Him. It's really hard to that. Sometimes I'm really tired, unmotivated, hyper, or not in the mood to talk to anyone. But I have made it a decision to always pray. When I don't pray I feel distant from Heavenly Father. Then Satan really works on me. I feel all alone, and I start feeling really bad about myself, my life, my decisions, and then I'm super overwhelmed or depressed. It all starts with prayer! It's one of those "small and simple" things that we must do. Throughout my studies, I have found several amazing quotes about prayer.

Here are some of the treasures I found while studying. Please read them and ponder. What is the Holy Ghost teaching you?

"Prayer is the avenue of communication which he has provided for us to commune with him again. thus, one of the chief purposes of our mortal probation is to see if we can learn with the spirit of prayer always in our hearts so that when the Lord chooses to speak, we shall hear his voice in our souls."  --Joseph Fielding Smith

(Thought: If we don't pray, we'll never learn how to hear His voice!)

" Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon unchanging principles. When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is in response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency." -- Elder Richard G. Scott "Agency and Answers: Recognizing Revelation" Ensign June 2014

(Thought: We must have faith, be obedience, and use our agency wisely to receive answers from our Father in Heaven.)

"Come to God weary him until he blesses you and we are entitled to the same blessings." - Joseph Smith

(Thought: An Elder quoted this in a meeting one time. It created a HUGE pondering moment in my mind. I still ponder about this quote. Weary the Lord? Pray so much that He gets tired of listening and throws blessings at me? I know God isn't like that, but that's what I thought at first. Then it clicked. He wants me to ask for them. Because when I ask for them, I truly learn what HIS WILL is for me. What does He want for me instead of what do I want?)

I know that prayer is real. It works. He answers our prayers. He really does. I know it to be true. Get to your knees and plead to the Lord. Ask Him for help. Ask Him for strength. Open your heart to Him. He loves you. He really does. He's there.

 

Lasting quote...pondering moment. Write your answers below.
"Are we in possession of the spirit of prayer? Have we made it a part of our very being? Are we in touch with our Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit, or are we not?" --Joseph Fielding Smith