The Privilege of Prayer
When I was ten years old, we had a little black puppy named Ewok. He was born with only three-and-a-half legs. I loved this little puppy. Every day after school I would go in the backyard and play with him for awhile. I loved spending time with him, it was one of my favorite things to do. One particular day I came home from school and went in the backyard to play with Ewok. He was gone. He had slipped out of his collar that was tied to a chain. I wasn't too worried yet because he had done this a few times before. I began to look for him in the usual places where I would typically find him. I looked over in our neighbor's yard and even in their garage because they would often give him treats that they kept in there. He wasn't anywhere to be found. I walked around for awhile and yelled his name again and again. No Ewok. I went home. I was getting worried now. This wasn't like him. He always came home to me when I called him. Later on I went outside and began looking again. Again, nothing. I decided to say a prayer. I had tried everything else. It was my last option and hope so I prayed that I might know where to look. I waited and listened for any promptings. Suddenly I had the idea that I needed to go look in the neighbor's garage again. I thought that was odd because I had already looked in there twice. But I heeded the prompting anyway. I went into the neighbor's garage and called for Ewok again. I heard a slight whimper. I called for him again. Again another whimper. The worry in my heart disappeared as I began looking more closely for him. Now I definitely knew he was in there. After a few minutes of careful searching, I eventually found him tightly stuck behind a piece of equipment. I was so grateful and relieved to have him in my arms again. That day I learned in a very personal way how powerful prayer can be. That God really does listen and answer prayers. This was a huge lesson that I would apply again and again throughout my life because I knew that it worked. And that is what I am focusing on today - the privilege of prayer. Daily prayer and the whisperings of the Holy Ghost have been my constant companions since that experience and many others from my childhood. They have helped me with schooling, finding good friends who had the same values, overcome my struggles with temptations, doubts of my abilities and self-worth, choice of my future spouse, and the times when I felt utterly alone. However, there are also times in my life where prayer had become thoughtless, insincere, or even at times altogether forgotten on my part. I would often have to ask myself why this is so? I know prayer is important, so why can't I always treat prayer for the privilege that it is? Prayer can so easily be taken for granted because it is such a small and simple act. And yet how powerful this simple act is. We know it is always available to us and so at times it is overlooked or not taken for the true gift that it is.
Elder James E. Faust says: "Access to our Creator through our Savior is surely one of the great privileges and blessings of our lives. I have learned from countless personal experiences that great is the power of prayer. No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place.
When I was ten years old, we had a little black puppy named Ewok. He was born with only three-and-a-half legs. I loved this little puppy. Every day after school I would go in the backyard and play with him for awhile. I loved spending time with him, it was one of my favorite things to do. One particular day I came home from school and went in the backyard to play with Ewok. He was gone. He had slipped out of his collar that was tied to a chain. I wasn't too worried yet because he had done this a few times before. I began to look for him in the usual places where I would typically find him. I looked over in our neighbor's yard and even in their garage because they would often give him treats that they kept in there. He wasn't anywhere to be found. I walked around for awhile and yelled his name again and again. No Ewok. I went home. I was getting worried now. This wasn't like him. He always came home to me when I called him. Later on I went outside and began looking again. Again, nothing. I decided to say a prayer. I had tried everything else. It was my last option and hope so I prayed that I might know where to look. I waited and listened for any promptings. Suddenly I had the idea that I needed to go look in the neighbor's garage again. I thought that was odd because I had already looked in there twice. But I heeded the prompting anyway. I went into the neighbor's garage and called for Ewok again. I heard a slight whimper. I called for him again. Again another whimper. The worry in my heart disappeared as I began looking more closely for him. Now I definitely knew he was in there. After a few minutes of careful searching, I eventually found him tightly stuck behind a piece of equipment. I was so grateful and relieved to have him in my arms again. That day I learned in a very personal way how powerful prayer can be. That God really does listen and answer prayers. This was a huge lesson that I would apply again and again throughout my life because I knew that it worked. And that is what I am focusing on today - the privilege of prayer. Daily prayer and the whisperings of the Holy Ghost have been my constant companions since that experience and many others from my childhood. They have helped me with schooling, finding good friends who had the same values, overcome my struggles with temptations, doubts of my abilities and self-worth, choice of my future spouse, and the times when I felt utterly alone. However, there are also times in my life where prayer had become thoughtless, insincere, or even at times altogether forgotten on my part. I would often have to ask myself why this is so? I know prayer is important, so why can't I always treat prayer for the privilege that it is? Prayer can so easily be taken for granted because it is such a small and simple act. And yet how powerful this simple act is. We know it is always available to us and so at times it is overlooked or not taken for the true gift that it is.
Elder James E. Faust says: "Access to our Creator through our Savior is surely one of the great privileges and blessings of our lives. I have learned from countless personal experiences that great is the power of prayer. No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place.
Do you ever sit back and think who you are actually praying to? I mean really think about it? We get to pray to God. Deity. An immortal, glorified, all-knowing, and perfected being who has created worlds without end and created each one of us. And guess what? Little ol' me and everyone of you gets to have direct access to HIM. How cool is that? How lucky are we that we get to call upon this mighty God with whom we get to call Father. It's easy to see why prayer is a privilege.
Elder James E. Faust continued to say: "When God placed man on the earth, prayer became the lifeline between mankind and God. Thus, in Adam’s generation, men began “to call upon the name of the Lord.” 1 2 As we pray we should think of our Father in Heaven as possessing all knowledge, understanding, love, and compassion.
Sometimes prayers vary in their intensity. Even the Savior “prayed more earnestly” in His hour of agony. Some are simple expressions of appreciation and requests for a continuation of blessings on our loved ones and us. However, in times of great personal hurt or need, more may be required than mere asking. The Lord said, “You have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.” Blessings sought through prayer sometimes require work, effort, and diligence on our part.
Elder John Dickson of the Seventy says: " Praying is not only a commandment but also one of the greatest of all privileges given to the sons and daughters of God. There is solace in knowing that He hears and that He cares, but we must take advantage of His invitation to call upon Him.
I was also asked to touch on how prayer fortified our family while Jed was gone serving his year-long deployment in Baghdad, Iraq. I'd have to say prayer played an integral part in getting through this last year. Every night when I would bow my head and say my prayers the first person that would always be on my mind was Jed. I knew that there was nothing I could do to ensure his safety except to pray. Every night during family prayers, the kids would ask God to please keep their dad safe and bring him back home to us.
I was also asked to touch on how prayer fortified our family while Jed was gone serving his year-long deployment in Baghdad, Iraq. I'd have to say prayer played an integral part in getting through this last year. Every night when I would bow my head and say my prayers the first person that would always be on my mind was Jed. I knew that there was nothing I could do to ensure his safety except to pray. Every night during family prayers, the kids would ask God to please keep their dad safe and bring him back home to us.
When our children were worried about their dad, scared that he might not make it home, or wondered if he was ok, prayer was our antidote. Often times we could have family prayer together with Jed through skyping. It was during these short few minutes of the day that our family could feel whole and complete again. It felt like Jed was kneeling right next to us at home. It kept our family feeling together, strong, and united. Family prayer is indeed a powerful and sustaining influence. That is the privilege of prayer.
Many prayers are spoken while we are on our knees. The Savior knelt as He prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. But silent prayers of the heart also reach to heaven. “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed.” Sincere prayers come from the heart. Indeed, sincerity requires that we draw from the earnest feelings of our hearts when we pray rather than using vain repetitions or pretentious affectations such as those condemned by the Savior in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. Our prayers then truly become the “song of the heart” and “a prayer.
Many prayers are spoken while we are on our knees. The Savior knelt as He prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. But silent prayers of the heart also reach to heaven. “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed.” Sincere prayers come from the heart. Indeed, sincerity requires that we draw from the earnest feelings of our hearts when we pray rather than using vain repetitions or pretentious affectations such as those condemned by the Savior in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. Our prayers then truly become the “song of the heart” and “a prayer.
There were times when Jed said he would call that night and I would wait to hear from him but then days would go by and no call. I would begin to feel the deep, churning pit in my stomach of worry and anxiousness while the worst case scenarios would often play in the back of my mind. Sometimes it became difficult to think of little else and my heart would race out of my chest. I knew he and his soldiers were rocketed and mortared on a daily basis, and some would hit quite close to him and shake him up really good. I also knew he went out on patrol missions in dangerous areas, driving on roads where deadly IEDs were a very real threat and concern. When these times would happen, I would begin to pray in my heart that all was well with him. This would often be the only thing that eased my mind until I would hear from him again.
I am very grateful to say that through the majority of the deployment, my mind and heart were at peace no matter what could have or would have happened because of the prayers and trust in my Heavenly Father. That is the privilege of prayer.
But Jed wasn't the only one that needed prayers. I did too. I was bearing the burden of being two parents in one body. It's safe to say I had many days where my patience ran very thin. I couldn't be everywhere at once like I often times needed to be. At times I felt frustrated and overwhelmed with running the household and dealing with all the kids issues, needs, demands, fighting, and drama all by myself. I fell short of sometimes simply being able to put a well cooked dinner together or be able to listen to one of my kids while three more wanted me at the same time. To put it simply, I felt like I was failing at motherhood. So when nighttime would come, what a privilege it was to kneel down by my bed at night and just let a big sigh out and begin to pray. First it would often be to ask forgiveness for yelling at my kids too much that day and letting the stress get to me. But by the time I was done praying, somehow it felt like everything would be alright and I would be able to get through another day. That is the privilege of prayer.
Elder John Dickson wrote: "Our Heavenly Father loves us and has a much greater vision than we do regarding those things that will give us eternal happiness. Jesus said, “For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matt. 6:8). With our prayers we need to indicate, “Thy will be done,” and truly mean it.
A few years ago I was observing a bug as it moved across the floor. From my vantage point I could see that approximately 15 feet ahead he was going to run into an obstacle that would cause him to lose quite a bit of travel time. I wanted to say, “Little bug, if you will change your direction and go 25 degrees to the left, you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble.” But of course he continued his path and ran head-on into the obstacle. He butted his head against it no fewer than 20 times as he first made a series of futile attempts to the right, then finally found his way around to the left.
I thought, Is it not so with us and the Lord? Is His vantage point not higher and greater than our own? Does He not know how our prayers need to be answered, even before we ask for His help? Through the scriptures, through prophets, or by the influence of the Spirit, does He not invite us to turn to 25 degrees to the left or to the right where He can keep us safe and out of harm’s way, when our natural instincts would take us in another direction and oftentimes into sorrow or suffering?
Prayer is a humble acknowledgment that God is our Father and that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. It is a sincere confession of sin and transgression and a request for forgiveness. It is recognition that we need help beyond our own ability. It is an opportunity to express thanksgiving and gratitude to our Creator.
I want to close by bearing my testimony of the power of prayer. How grateful I am that God allows us to speak directly with him. I know that He knows everything about me and He knows everything about you. He sees my struggles and weaknesses and yet completely loves me anyway. I am grateful for the strength and guidance I have received through a lifetime of prayers and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I must also express my gratitude to those in our ward, family members and friends whose prayers and good deeds were also answers to our prayers throughout this past year. There were times when I could literally feel the prayers of others made on our behalf. Prayer is indeed a great blessing and a privilege. May we not take it for granted. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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