Thoughts on Prayer

As I work on my goals, I decided one of the things I needed to study is prayer. I found this article on making prayers more meaningful and I thought it was brilliant.




Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Improving Our Prayers,” Ensign, Mar 2004, 24–31
From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University—Provo on 21 January 2003.Do you feel that the time you spend in prayer enriches and uplifts your soul? Is there room for improvement?

Every person on the earth today lived at one time in heavenly realms. We walked with our Heavenly Father. We knew Him. We heard His voice. We loved Him. And although we were eager to enter mortality and continue our progression, we must have regretted the separation that would accompany it. We must have sorrowed that a veil would cover our eyes and the bright memories of our lives would be cloaked in the forgetfulness of mortality. How we must have yearned to stay close to our Father in Heaven. How we must have covenanted to ever reach after Him and commune with Him.
Undoubtedly our separation from our Heavenly Father was softened when He promised that as we sought after Him in prayer, He would reach toward us.

Now we are here. Our memories of our premortal life are dim and dark. We have forgotten those things we supposed we could never forget. Unfortunately and tragically we sometimes even forget our Heavenly Father, whom we loved so dearly.

Have you considered the effectiveness of your prayers, your efforts to reach toward Him from this mortal life? How close do you feel to your Heavenly Father? Do you feel that your prayers are answered? Do you feel that the time you spend in prayer enriches and uplifts your soul? Is there room for improvement?

Make Prayers Meaningful
There are many reasons our prayers may lack power. Sometimes they become routine. Our prayers become hollow when we say similar words in similar ways over and over so often that the words become more of a recitation than a communication. This is what the Savior described as “vain repetitions” (see Matt. 6:7). Such prayers, He said, will not be heard.
Our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, has observed:
“The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries—we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, contemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another.” 1
Do your prayers at times sound and feel the same? Have you ever said a prayer mechanically, the words pouring forth as though cut from a machine? Do you sometimes bore yourself as you pray?
Will prayers that do not demand much of your thought merit much attention from our Heavenly Father? When you find yourself getting into a routine with your prayers, step back and think. Meditate for a while on the things for which you really are grateful. Look for them. They don’t have to be grand or glorious. Sometimes 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.
Thinking of things we are grateful for is a healing balm. It helps us get outside ourselves. It changes our focus from our pains and our trials to the abundance of this beautiful world we live in.
Think of those things you truly need. Bring your goals and your hopes and your dreams to the Lord and set them before Him. Heavenly Father wants us to approach Him and ask for His divine aid. Explain to Him the trials you are facing. Set before Him your righteous desires.
Our prayers can and should be focused on the practical, everyday struggles of life. If we should pray over our crops (see Alma 34:24), then why not over other important challenges we face?
Some believe that the more eloquent a prayer, the more effective. Too often these prayers are not so much meant for the ears of the Almighty as they are for the ears of the audience. Do you want to commune with the Infinite? Then 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.

Pray with Faith
Another reason many prayers have little power is that we lack faith. We approach our Heavenly Father like a child who asks something of his or her parents, knowing they will refuse. Without faith, our prayers are merely words. With faith, our prayers connect with the powers of heaven and can bring upon us increased understanding, hope, and power. If by faith the worlds were created, then by faith we can create and receive the righteous desires of our heart.
What is faith? Faith is absolute confidence in that which is in absolute conformity to the will of heaven. When we combine that confidence with absolute action on our part, we have faith.
Faith without works is dead. Sometimes we expect Heavenly Father to answer our prayers when all we have done is utter a prayer. The doors of heaven will ever be closed to those who hold out their hands, waiting for blessings to drop from heaven upon them.
The powers of faith are activated by action. We must do our part. We must prepare. We must do all that is in our power, and we will be blessed in our efforts.
Prayer is a private matter between you and Heavenly Father. Both He and you know when you have done what you can. Do not give a thought as to whether or not your best compares with others. In the eyes of Heavenly Father, that doesn’t matter.

The Need for Charity
Another reason our prayers have little power is that we fail to succor those in need around us. The Book of Mormon teaches, “If ye 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—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing” (Alma 34:28).
Our willingness to aid those in distress around us has ever been the benchmark of the disciples of Christ. Indeed, the Savior taught that our very salvation depends upon the level of our compassion for others (see Matt. 25:31–46). If we turn our backs upon the poor and the distressed, can we, in turn, suppose that our Heavenly Father will be merciful to us? As we are to those in need, so our Heavenly Father will be to us in our time of need.

A Pattern for Prayer
In Psalm 37 [Ps. 37] David revealed an inspired process for active prayer and faith. It is a step-by-step process that may serve as a pattern for us to follow as we seek to increase our faith and improve the efficacy of our prayers.
“Fret not” is the first step (see Ps. 37:1). To fret means to worry or to brood about something. The first thing we must do is stop worrying. When we worry about the future, we create unhappiness in the present. Righteous concern may lead us to take appropriate action, but worrying about things we cannot control can paralyze and demoralize us.
Instead of worrying, focus on doing all that you can, and then leave the worrying to your Heavenly Father. If your heart is right with Him, He will take care of the worry and the fear. We must learn to “fret not.”

The second step is to “trust in the Lord” (see Ps. 37:3). Why should we trust in Him? Because He is our loving and all-wise Father in Heaven. Because He is the giver of all good gifts. Because He knows us and wants us to be happy and successful and to return to Him. God is in His heaven. He is perfect. He loves us.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding,” we read in the scriptures. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:5–6).

The third step is “do good” (see Ps. 37:3). We do good because we are followers of Christ. We do good because we are members of His church. We do good because we have made solemn covenants to serve as a light unto the world. Our Heavenly Father expects our actions to serve as a living testimony to our words. As we do good, the Lord can bless our efforts.
This is not to say that we must never make a mistake, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The Lord requires that we seek Him with a humble heart, that we repent of our sins, and that we continue to do the best we can. As we make mistakes, we should learn from them and strive not to repeat them. As we do so, we become ever more Christlike, ever more as men and women of God.
As our actions contradict our professions of faith, our prayers become weak. When we do good, the Lord can work through us and magnify our efforts.

The fourth step is to “delight thyself also in the Lord” (see Ps. 37:4). What a wonderful doctrine! Instead of worrying or grumbling that our prayers have gone unanswered, we should delight ourselves in the Lord. Be grateful. Be happy. Know that the Lord, in His time, will bring about all your righteous desires—sometimes in ways we predict, sometimes in ways we could not have possibly foreseen. What a wonderful recipe for happiness and peace.
The fifth step is to “commit thy way unto the Lord” (see Ps. 37:5). No matter what your worries are, commit yourself to keeping His commandments. Brethren, honor your priesthood. Sisters, cleave unto the principles of light and truth.

The sixth step is to “rest in the Lord” (see Ps. 37:7). Sometimes the hardest thing we can do is wait. The Lord has His own timetable, and although it may frustrate us, His timing is always perfect. When we rest in the Lord, we allow Him to work His will for us in His own time and in His own way.

Prayer Brings Light
As we commune with our Father in humble prayer, our hearts receive the gentle outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Lord tells us, “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24).
Those who do not have this light ever struggle with disbelief. They cannot understand the things of God because their souls have little light. On the other hand, as our souls become filled with light, we begin to understand clearly things that once were dark.

My brothers and sisters, spiritual experiences are available to all who come before their Eternal Father with a broken heart and contrite spirit. One of the things we must do in this mortality is chase away the darkness. We must fill our souls with the light of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings Available to All
The rich blessings that can come into our lives through prayer are available to all. The poor have as much access as the rich. The movie star has no advantage over the laborer. We are all equal in our ability to approach the throne of our Heavenly King.
The Savior tells us, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).
As we approach our Heavenly Father in the name of Christ, we open the windows of heaven. We can receive from Him truth, light, and knowledge.
Prayer is the doorway through which we commence our discipleship to things heavenly and eternal. We will never be alone so long as we know how to pray.
It is my earnest desire that members of the Church will reexamine their own lives through the context of prayer. That we may ever lift up our voices to our Heavenly Father and fill our souls with celestial light is my prayer.

Charity

Charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make part of yourself.Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or catagorize someone else, when we simply give someone the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet.

Charity is accepting someones differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended...

Charity is refusing to take advantage of anothers weakness and being willing to forgive somone who has hurt us.

Charity is expecting the best of each other.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton

One Flaw in Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have the compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.
Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

The Goals

There comes a point in every woman's life when she realizes she has gone off course. When she goes to bed every night with an unsettled feeling and she realizes she isn't the person she wants to be. OK, this might not happen to every woman but it happened to me and this blog is my attemp to get back on track- I am tired of going to bed at night knowing I am not the woman I want to be and the woman I know I am. I have thought a lot about what changes would make the most difference and I came up with five goals. These are:

Get rid of clutter/get my house in order.
To do this, I am going to go through every box, closet, shelf, pile and envelope in my house. This would be a scary goal except I am doing it very slowly, one shelf or drawer a day. It is amazing what I have already found. I am a little sad about all the things that have slipped through the cracks bacause I put the card in the pile and forgot to send it or the gift certificate expired because I forgot we had it.

Get back into my pre-pregnant clothes
This one is a doozy. I have a closet full of clothes I can't wear and it drags me down every day when I get dressed.

Spirituality
For far to long I have let this slide until now I feel like I am on spiritual life support. This is hard to write beacuse we all show our beautiful happy faces to the world and now you know my little secret. I have been going through the motions. Now I need to recharge these batteries.

Connect with my kids
I fell sometimes that while I am physically present, mentally I am a million miles away. I have a lot going on in my head and

Books

This list is from USA Today’s Best Seller List… How it works: The books I have read are BOLD (I put a star by the ones I own)
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling
2. Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution - Robert C. Atkins
3. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling**
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling**
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling**
10. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson
11. The South Beach Diet - Arthur Agatston
12. Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom
13. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
14. What to Expect When You’re Expecting - Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, Sandee Hathaway
15. The Purpose-Driven Life - Rick Warren
16. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
17. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey (started listening to on tape but it was so boring)
18. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
19. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - John Gray**
20. The Secret - Rhonda Byrne
21. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter **
22 . To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
23. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … And It’s All Small Stuff - Richard Carlson
24. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
25. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert**
26. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer**
27. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks**
28. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter - Kim Edwards
29. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
30. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
31. A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle
32. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! - Dr. Seuss
33. The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz
34. Angela’s Ashes - Frank McCourt
35. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
36. Body-for-Life - Bill Phillips, Michael D’Orso
37. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
38. Night - Elie Wiesel, translations by Marion Wiesel and Stella Rodway
39. Chicken Soup for the Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
40. The Greatest Generation - Tom Brokaw
41. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
42. The Celestine Prophecy - James Redfield
43. Wicked - Gregory Maguire (this is a horrible book- hated it!)
44. Good to Great - Jim Collins
45. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
46. Eragon - Christopher Paolini
47. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells
48. Your Best Life Now - Joel Osteen
49. In the Kitchen With Rosie - Rosie Daley
50. Simple Abundance - Sarah Ban Breathnach**
51. A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer**
52. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
53. The Testament - John Grisham
54. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger 55. Deception Point - Dan Brown
56. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
57. Marley & Me - John Grogan
58. Dr. Atkins’ New Carbohydrate Gram Counter - Robert C. Atkins
59. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
60. The Brethren - John Grisham
61. The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide - Arthur Agatston
62. The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town - John Grisham
63. For One More Day - Mitch Albom
64. The Polar Express - Chris Van Allsburg
65. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
66. The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
67. What to Expect the First Year - Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway
68. Love You Forever - Robert Munsch, art by Sheila McGraw
69. Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss**
70. A Painted House - John Grisham
71. The Rainmaker - John Grisham
72. Skipping Christmas - John Grisham**
73. Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier
74. The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
75. Life Strategies - Phillip C. McGraw
76. Seabiscuit: An American Legend - Laura Hillenbrand
77. The Summons - John Grisham 78. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt 79. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
80. The Runaway Jury - John Grisham
81. Goodnight Moon Board Book - Margaret Wise Brown, art by Clement Hurd**
82. The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger
83. Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson
84. The Giver - Lois Lowry **
85. Embraced by the Light - Betty J. Eadie
86. The Chamber - John Grisham
87. You: On A Diet - Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz
88. The Prayer of Jabez - Bruce Wilkinson
89. Holes - Louis Sacha**
90. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
91. The Shack - William P. Young
92. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger ( I started this book but the liberal use of the "F" word turned me off)
93. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
94. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
95. The Seat of the Soul - Gary Zukav
96. Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne, Marci Shimoff
97. The Partner - John Grisham
98. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
99. Eldest: Inheritance, Book II - Christopher Paolini
100. The Broker - John Grisham
101. The Street Lawyer - John Grisham
102. A Series of Unfortunate Events No. 1: The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
103. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
104. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
105. The King of Torts - John Grisham
106. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
107. The Horse Whisperer - Nicholas Evans
108 . Hannibal - Thomas Harris
109. The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
110. Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs (started it but didn't finish)
111. The Glass Castle: A Memoir - Jeannette Walls
112. My Sister’s Keeper - Jodi Picoult
113. The Last Juror - John Grisham
114. The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
115. Left Behind - Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins
116. America (The Book) - Jon Stewart and The Writers of The Daily Show 117. The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
118. John Adams - David McCullough
119. The Christmas Box - Richard Paul Evans **
120. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares**
121. Sugar Busters! - H. Leighton Steward, Sam S. Andrews, Morrison C. Bethea, Luis A. Balart 122. Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
123. The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle
124. 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life - Don Piper, Cecil Murphey
125. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
126. 1776 - David McCullough
127. The Bridges of Madison County - Robert James Waller
128. Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts
129. The Ultimate Weight Solution - Phillip C. McGraw
130. Protein Power - Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades 131. Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne, Marci Shimoff 132. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
133. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
134. Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
135. You: The Owner’s Manual - Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz**
136. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List - Patricia Schultz
137. Self Matters - Phillip C. McGraw
138. She’s Come Undone - Wally Lamb
139. 1984 - George Orwell
140. The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
141. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko
142. The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
143. The Zone - Barry Sears, Bill Lawren
144. The Pilot’s Wife - Anita Shreve
145. The Lost World -Michael Crichton
146. Atonement - Ian McEwan
147. He’s Just Not That Into You - Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo
148. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
149. The World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman
150. Cross - James Patterson