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HOW DO WE PRAY?
Below are some thing that I have collected on
Prayer, I hope they can help you as they have helped me!
I kneel to
pray ev'ry day.
I speak to Heav'nly Father.
He hears and answers me
When I pray in faith.
I begin by saying "Dear Heavenly Father";
I thank him for blessings he sends;
Then humbly I ask him for things that I need,
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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Heavenly Father Answers Our Prayers FHE Lesson
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Maze on Prayer
Prayer Maze.pdf
 “Sharing
Time:
Choosing the
Right through Study and Prayer,”
Friend, Jun 1997, 4
Counsel with the Lord in all thy
doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou
liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may
watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in
the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God
(Alma 37:37).
You will make many important choices in your life.
You will be able to choose to keep the commandments. You
can choose to obey your parents. You will choose your
friends and the activities you participate in. It will
be your choice to accept a call to go on a mission. You
decide how to treat others, and whether or not to obey
the law. All these choices are important, and you are
accountable for them.
Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to make right
choices because they will bless your life and help you
be happy. He wants to help, but He will never choose for
you or force you to make a choice. He has given you the
precious gift of agency, which is the power to make your
own choices.
When you have an important choice to make, you can
study it out in your mind. (See
D&C 9:8.) Think carefully about your options. You
might ask your parents and other leaders for their help
and guidance. Find out what Heavenly Father has already
told you about this choice in the scriptures. Study what
the prophets have said about it. Imagine what the
consequences of each option might be and make a list of
all the good and bad consequences.
When you feel that you understand what the best
choice is, pray to Heavenly Father. Explain to Him why
this choice is important to you. Tell Him the feelings
of your heart and the reasons for your choice. Ask Him
to help you understand if your choice is a good one for
you.
After sincerely praying, think about how you feel.
You may have a warm peaceful feeling come into your
heart. You may feel as though you should go forward with
your choice. If you feel confused or uneasy about it,
you should consider your choice again. These kinds of
feelings come to you from your Father in Heaven. (See
D&C 9:8–9.)
Instructions
In the starting box of the maze on the following
page, write a choice you have to make. Follow the
instructions as you go through the maze. Then, in the
finish box, write the choice you have made.
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 I
can Pray for.....
Sharing Time: I Pray for Others,” Friend, Aug 1996
I can Pray for.pdf
each picture is on its on page.
For those who are sick
For those who are hungry
For those who suffer from war
For those who_________
Heavenly Father hears my prayers for others.
How do you feel when you see someone who is hurt or treated unkindly by
others? Even though you want to help, you might feel that you can do
little for people who suffer. Yet there is a way you can help those who
are suffering from war, from need, or from other evil or hurtful things.
No matter what your own circumstances are, one of the most powerful ways
you can help is to pray for them.
Heavenly Father hears the prayers of His children. He understands the
feelings in your heart. The feelings of love and concern that you have
for others come from His spirit. These feelings and desires come because
you are His child. As you ask Heavenly Father to bless those who are
suffering, remember that He knows best how to answer your prayers.
Listen carefully. He will let you know if you can help. Maybe He will
prompt others to help or, in His great wisdom, answer in other ways. He
loves you, and He loves the person you are praying for. When you pray
for others, you are helping them in a very real and powerful way.
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How To Teach Our Children Two-Way Communication
Stephen R. and Sandra Covey, “How To Teach Our Children Two-Way
Communication
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What Shall I Say
When I Pray |
What Shall I Say
When I Pray.pdf
Sharing Time: What Shall
I Say When I Pray?,” Friend, Jun 1985, 45
Have you ever been asked to pray in front of other people and when
you closed your eyes, you couldn’t remember what you wanted to say? If
you can see pictures in your mind, they can help you to think of the
words that you want to say.
After we begin a prayer by addressing our Father in Heaven, we thank
Him for the things we have. Think of all the blessings you have—home,
family, friends, the Church, beauties of the earth, and so on. Try to
picture in your mind each of these things. When you pray, express
gratitude to Heavenly Father for several of them.
Now think of what you would like help with, or that others might need
help with. When you pray, ask for help with what is important to you. If
you are praying for someone you know, picture him in your mind as you
pray, and it will be easier to ask for a blessing for him.
Here is something you can do to help you have pictures in your mind,
to help you remember things to say when you pray.
Instructions
1. Color words and pictures; cut them out.
2. Glue each title on separate piece of colored paper.
3. Decide where you think each picture belongs—is it something you
are grateful for, or is it something you might ask a blessing for? Some
pictures may go either place.
4. Glue each picture under title you have chosen.
5. Close your eyes and see how many things you can remember from each
page. Add your own drawings as you think of other things. |
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I Can Pray to Heavenly Father Anytime, Anywhere |
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Praying to Our Heavenly Father
-Gospel Principles |
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We are all children of God. He loves us and knows our
needs, and He wants us to communicate with Him through
prayer. We should pray to Him and no one else. The Lord
Jesus Christ commanded, "Ye must always pray unto the
Father in my name" (3 Nephi 18:19). As we make a habit
of approaching God in prayer, we will come to know Him
and draw ever nearer to Him. Our desires will become
more like His. We will be able to secure for ourselves
and for others blessings that He is ready to give if we
will but ask in faith.
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We speak with our earthly father. He is our dear friend,
our protector, the one who usually supplies our food and
clothing and home. But we also speak to our Father in
Heaven. We do this with prayer. I hope that every night
and every morning you get on your knees and speak with
your Father in Heaven. I hope that in the morning you
will express thanks for the night’s rest, for warmth and
comfort and the love you feel in your home. I hope that
you will ask Him to watch over you and bless and guide
you throughout the day. I hope that you will pray for
your father and mother and brothers and sisters, and
that you will remember all who are sick and in need. I
hope you will remember the missionaries of the Church as
you pray. In the evening before you go to sleep, I
hope you will again get on your knees and thank Him for
the blessings of the day. Thank Him again for your
parents and for your teachers. Ask Him to bless you with
good sleep and to bless all others, and particularly
those in need and who do not have enough food or a good
place to sleep.
It is not asking too much, is it, to take a few
minutes of each day to speak with your Father in Heaven
when you know that you are a child of God?
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: You Are a
Child of God,” Friend, May 2003
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“Heavenly Father … wants you to pray to Him every day.
He wants to help you because He loves you, and He will
help you if you pray to Him and ask Him for His help. In
your prayers, also thank Him for your blessings. Thank
Him for sending our oldest brother, Jesus Christ, into
the world. He made it possible for us to return to our
heavenly home. Thank Him for your family. Thank Him for
the Church. Thank Him for this beautiful world you live
in. Ask Him to protect you. In your prayers, ask Him to
help you know what to do in your life. When you make
mistakes, your Heavenly Father still loves you. So pray
to Him, and He will help you try again to do right.”
Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), Thirteenth
President of the Church
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Meditate for a while on the things for which you really
are grateful. … They don’t have to be grand or glorious.
Thinking of things we are grateful for is a healing
balm. … It changes our focus from our pains and our
trials to the abundance of this beautiful world we live
in.
We should express our gratitude for the small and
simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of
your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice.
Think of those things you truly need. Bring your
goals and your hopes and your dreams to the Lord and set
them before Him.
Approach Him with reverence and humility. Don’t worry
so much about whether your words are polished or not.
Worry instead about speaking from your heart
From “Improving Our Prayers,” Ensign, Mar. 2004, 26–27.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shares
some of his thoughts on this subject
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One day my father, who was bishop of our ward, left my
brother and me to do some work. We thought he would be
gone for some time doing his church work. But he
returned sooner than we had expected and found us riding
calves. When he called us over, I will never forget
how he looked at me and said, “My boy, I thought I could
depend on you!”
That was a great lesson, a severe punishment, to me.
I made up my mind then that neither he nor anyone else
would ever have reason to say that again to me as long
as I lived.
I remember so well how my father would talk to the
Lord when he used to call us together for family prayer.
He didn’t just say a few words and then send us off to
the fields. Instead he knelt with us and told the Lord
about some of our weaknesses and some of our problems
where we had failed.
“Eldon didn’t do exactly what he should have done
today. We are sorry that he made this mistake. Kindly
forgive him, and we feel sure, Heavenly Father, that he
will try to do what is right. Let thy Spirit be with him
and bless him so that he can be a good boy.”
In the mornings Father used to pray, “Let thy
blessings attend us as we go about our duties so that we
may do what is right and return tonight to make a
report.” This always gave us greater strength to meet
and overcome temptations, for we knew that we would be
reporting to the Lord at night.
I am going to report to the Lord tonight, I
used to think. And this thought helped me to live a
better life during the day.
Father always thanked the Lord for our crops and
flocks and home, for the country in which we lived, for
one another, and for many, many other things.
He used to tell us about Joseph Smith’s prayer—how he
went out into a grove to pray and how God the Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him. Then Father
would say, “That’s the kind of God we are talking to,
boys.” We knew it as he prayed, and we too learned to
pray.
As a child I learned to pray for my parents. When
children pray for their parents, they become more
appreciative of them. In our family and personal
prayers, we should always pray for one another. Then we
will feel closer to each other and feel more a part of a
happy family.
I am grateful that my father taught me to pray and to
be dependable. Today when my family and I kneel
together, we know we are praying to a personal God who
is interested in us, who will hear and answer our
prayers, and who has given us the gospel that can lead
to eternal life.
N. Eldon Tanner, “Friend to Friend: Reporting to
Father,” Friend, Jun 1973
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“There is a power greater than you who can help you. You never need
be ashamed of praying. Get on your knees as the day starts. Get on your
knees as the day closes and offer prayer unto the Lord, and ask Him to
bless you in dealing with your problems, to bless you in your schooling,
bless you in all you do, and remember before Him those who are less
fortunate than you, others who are in trouble and need and desire His
blessings. Be prayerful! There is something wonderful, there is
something noble, there is something upstanding and good about an
individual who prays. Don’t forget to pray.”
(Ensign, June 2000, page 19.)President Gordon B. Hinckley
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“When our oldest son was about three, he would kneel
with his mother and me in our evening prayer. I was
serving as the bishop of the ward at the time, and a
lovely lady in the ward, Margaret Lister, lay perilously
ill with cancer. Each night we would pray for Sister
Lister. One evening our tiny son offered the prayer and
confused the words of the prayer with a story from a
nursery book. He began: ‘Heavenly Father, please bless
Sister Lister, Henny Penny, Chicken Little, Turkey
Lurkey, and all the little folks.’ We held back the
smiles that evening. Later we were humbled as Margaret
Lister sustained a complete recovery. We do not belittle
the prayer of a child. After all, our children have more
recently been with our Heavenly Father than have we.”
( Ensign, October 1999, page 2.) President
Thomas S. Monson
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“A fervent, sincere prayer is a two-way communication
that will do much to bring the Spirit flowing like
healing water to help with the trials, hardships, aches,
and pains we all face. … As we pray, we should think of
our Heavenly Father as being close by; full of
knowledge, understanding, love, and compassion; the
essence of power; and having great expectations of each
of us.”
(Ensign, January 1999, page 2.) President James
E. Faust
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 Prayer
reminder door hanger.pdf
Prayer
reminder.pdf
Prayer Reminders
Friend, Jan. 2007
Remember to have family prayer.
Kneel by the side of your bed for morning and night prayers.
Fold your arms during a prayer.
Close your eyes when a prayer is given.
Don’t forget to ask Heavenly Father for a blessing on your food.
Bow your head when a prayer is given
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Principles of Prayer
Our Heavenly Father is always ready to hear and
answer our prayers. The power of our prayers depends
on us. As we strive to make prayer a part of our
lives, we should remember this counsel:
Make our prayers meaningful. The prophet
Mormon warned that if anyone "shall pray and not
with real intent of heart . . . it profiteth him
nothing, for God receiveth none such" (Moroni 7:9).
To make our prayers meaningful, we must pray with
sincerity and "with all the energy of heart" (Moroni
7:48). We must be careful to avoid "vain
repetitions" when we pray (see Matthew 6:7).
Use language that shows love, respect,
reverence, and closeness. The application of
this principle will vary according to different
languages. If we pray in English, for example, we
should use the pronouns of the scriptures when we
address God—Thee, Thou, Thy, and Thine,
rather than the more common pronouns you, your,
and yours. Regardless of the language, the
principle remains the same: When we pray, we should
use words that appropriately convey a loving,
worshipful relationship with God.
Always give thanks to Heavenly Father. We
should "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many
mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon
[us]" (Alma 34:38). As we take time to remember our
blessings, we will recognize how much our Heavenly
Father has done for us. We should express our thanks
to Him.
Seek Heavenly Father's guidance and strength
in all we do. Alma counseled his son Helaman:
"Cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy
doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou
goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy
thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the
affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord
forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings,
and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou
liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he
may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou
risest in the morning let thy heart be full of
thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall
be lifted up at the last day" (Alma 37:36–37; see
also Alma 34:17–26).
Remember the needs of others as we pray.
We should offer prayers "for [our] welfare, and also
for the welfare of those who are around [us]" (Alma
34:27). We should ask our Heavenly Father to bless
and comfort those in need.
Seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost so we will
know what to include in our prayers. The Holy
Ghost can teach us to pray and guide us in the
things we say (see Romans 8:26; 2 Nephi 32:8; 3
Nephi 19:9, 24). He can help us pray "according to
the will of God" (D&C 46:30).
When we make a request through prayer, we must
do all we can to assist in its being granted.
Heavenly Father expects us to do more than merely
ask Him for blessings. When we have an important
decision to make, He often will require that we
"study it out in [our] mind" before He will give us
an answer (see D&C 9:7–8). Our prayers for guidance
will be only as effective as our efforts to be
receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Our
prayers for our own welfare and for the welfare of
others will be in vain if we "turn away the needy,
and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted,
and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those
who stand in need" (Alma 34:28).
If we have a difficult task before us, Heavenly
Father is pleased when we get on our knees and ask
for help and then get on our feet and go to work. He
will help us in all our righteous pursuits, but He
seldom will do something for us that we can do
ourselves.
Personal Prayer
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ
counseled: "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" (Matthew 6:6). Personal, private
prayer is an essential part of our spiritual
development.
At least every morning and every night, we should
find a place that is free from distractions and
kneel in humility and commune with our Heavenly
Father. Although sometimes we may need to pray
silently, we should make an extra effort at times to
pray vocally (see D&C 19:28; 20:51).
Prayer is two-way communication. As we close our
prayers, we should take time to pause and listen. At
times, Heavenly Father will counsel, guide, or
comfort us while we are on our knees.
We should never give in to the idea that we are
not worthy to pray. This idea comes from Satan, who
wants to convince us that we must not pray (see 2
Nephi 32:8). If we do not feel like praying, we
should pray until we do feel like praying.
The Savior has commanded, "Pray always, that you
may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer
Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the
servants of Satan that do uphold his work" (D&C
10:5). Although we cannot be continuously on our
knees, always offering a personal, private prayer,
we can let our hearts be "full, drawn out in prayer
unto [God] continually" (Alma 34:27; see also 3
Nephi 20:1). Throughout each day, we can maintain a
constant feeling of love for our Heavenly Father and
His Beloved Son. We can silently express gratitude
to our Father and ask Him to strengthen us in our
responsibilities. In times of temptation or physical
danger, we can silently ask for His help.
Family Prayer
In addition to commanding us to pray in private,
the Savior has exhorted us to pray with our
families. He said, "Pray in your families unto the
Father, always in my name, that your wives and your
children may be blessed" (3 Nephi 18:21).
We should make family prayer a consistent part of
our family's life. Every morning and every evening,
we should kneel together in humility, giving each
family member frequent opportunities to say the
prayer and uniting in gratitude for the blessings
Heavenly Father has given us. We should also unite
in faith to plead for the blessings we need and to
pray for others.
Through regular family prayer, our family members
will draw nearer to God and to each other. Our
children will learn to communicate with their Father
in Heaven. We will all be better prepared to serve
others and withstand temptations. Our homes will be
places of spiritual strength, a refuge from the evil
influences of the world.
Public Prayer
At times we may be asked to offer a public
prayer, perhaps in a Church meeting or class. When
we receive this opportunity, we should remember that
we are communicating with Heavenly Father, not
giving a public sermon. We should not worry about
what others may think of what we say. Instead, we
should offer a simple, heartfelt prayer.
Receiving Answers to Prayer
The Savior taught, "Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened" (Matthew 7:7–8). To the
Nephites He said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the
Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye
shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you" (3
Nephi 18:20).
Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He may not
always answer as we expect, but He does answer—in
His own time and according to His will. Because He
knows what is best for us, He may sometimes answer
no, even when our petitions are sincere.
Answers to prayer come in many ways. They often
come through the still, small voice of the Holy
Ghost (see "Revelation"). They may come in the
circumstances of our lives or through the kind acts
of those around us. As we continue to draw near to
our Heavenly Father through prayer, we will
recognize more readily His merciful and wise answers
to our pleadings. We will find that He is our
"refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble" (Psalm 46:1).
—See True to the Faith (2004),
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Church Magazine Articles
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"Improving Our Prayers"
Joseph B. Wirthlin, Liahona, Aug.
2004, 16–23; or Ensign, Mar. 2004,
24–31
Do you feel that the time you spend in prayer
enriches and uplifts your soul? Is there room
for improvement?
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"Our Father Which Art in Heaven"
L. Tom Perry, Ensign, Nov. 1983,
11–13
I can think of no greater teaching to our
children than that of the power of prayer.
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"The Power of Family Prayer"
John H. Groberg, Ensign, May 1982,
50–52
Our Father in Heaven wants us to have strong,
loving families. One of the great helps He has
given us to achieve this is family prayer.
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"Pray Always"
Spencer W. Kimball, Tambuli, Mar.
1982, 1–7; or Ensign, Oct. 1981, 3–6
There is a knowledge that our Father in Heaven
wants each of us to have, and that is a personal
knowledge that He hears and answers our prayers.
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"Prayer"
Spencer W. Kimball, New Era, Mar.
1978, 14–19
Why should we pray? Because we are the sons and
daughters of our Heavenly Father, on whom we
depend for everything we enjoy.
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"Prayer"
Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1977,
32–34
There is no place for fear among men and women
who place their trust in the Almighty, who do
not hesitate to humble themselves in seeking
divine guidance through prayer.
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"The Importance of Prayer"
Franklin D. Richards, Ensign, July
1972, 66–67
As we approach our Father in Heaven with the
spirit "thy will be done," and as we personally
do all we can to have our prayers answered, the
Lord will do the rest.
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"Sweet Power of Prayer"
Russell M. Nelson, Liahona, May
2003, 7–9; or Ensign, May 2003, 7–9
We should pray in accord with the will of our
Heavenly Father. He wants to test us, to
strengthen us, and to help us achieve our full
potential.
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"The Lifeline of Prayer"
James E. Faust, Liahona, July 2002,
62, 67–69; or Ensign, May 2002, 59–62
Each of us has problems that we cannot solve and
weaknesses that we cannot conquer without
reaching out through prayer to a higher source
of strength. That source is the God of heaven to
whom we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
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"Prayer"
Henry B. Eyring, Liahona, Jan. 2002,
16–19; or Ensign, Nov. 2001, 15–17
With . . . faith, we will be able to pray for
what we want and appreciate whatever we get.
Only with that faith will we pray with the
diligence God requires.
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"The Prayer of Faith"
Thomas S. Monson, Tambuli, Mar.
1995, 2–7; or Ensign, Aug. 1995, 2–6
Men and women of integrity, character, and
purpose have ever recognized a power higher than
themselves and have sought through prayer to be
guided by such power.
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"The Language of Prayer"
Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 1993,
15–18
Men and women who wish to show respect will take
the time to learn the special language of
prayer.
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"Peace through Prayer"
Rex D. Pinegar, Ensign, May 1993,
65–68
Our Father in Heaven has promised us peace in
times of trial and has provided a way for us to
come to Him in our need. He has given us the
privilege and power of prayer.
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"The Blessings of Family Prayer"
Gordon B. Hinckley, Tambuli, Sept.
1991, 2–7; or Ensign, Feb. 1991, 2–5
A return to the old pattern of prayer, family
prayer in the homes of the people, is one of the
basic medications that would check the dread
disease that is eroding the character of our
society.
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"Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer"
Richard G. Scott, Ensign, Nov. 1989,
30–32
When answers to urgent prayer don't seem to
come, it can be that we don't understand some
truths about prayer, or because we don't
recognize answers when they come.
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“Sharing
Time:
Choosing the
Right through Study and Prayer,”
Friend, Jun 1997, 4
