MONA S HELPS FOR RELIEF SOCIETY LESSONS FROM THE GOSPEL PRINCIPLES MANUAL Chapter 8: Praying to Our Heavenly Father, Gospel Principles, (2009),35 38 Help 1 DISCUSSION: WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? Lead the class in a discussion about prayer focusing on the answers to who, what, when, where, and why. WHO: 3 Nephi 18.19: Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name. WHAT: See Prayer in the Bible Dictionary, p. 752 WHEN: Elder Bruce R. McConkie: pray regularly, consistently, day in and day out; and also, live with the spirit of prayer always in your heart, so that your thoughts, words, and acts are always such as will please Him who is Eternal. ( After This Manner Pray Ye, Ensign, Jan. 1996) Alma 37:36 37: 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). President Brigham Young: It matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do. And if there is a heavy storm coming on and our hay is likely to be wet, let it come. You will find that those who wait till the Spirit bids them pray, will never pray much on this earth. (quoted by John A. Widstoe, Discourses of Brigham Young:44) WHERE: Matthew 6:6 : 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. Alma 34:26: But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
WHY: 2 Nephi 4:35: Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen. 2 Nephi 32:8 9: And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. Enos 1:9: Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them. Alma 13:28: But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long suffering Alma 37:36 37: Yea, and 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 34:19 21: Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name; And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you. Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed. Moroni 7:26: And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you. Pres. Thomas S. Monson: I would ask that your faith and prayers continue to be offered in behalf of those areas where our influence is limited and where we are not allowed to share the gospel freely at this time. Miracles can occur as we do so. ( Welcome to Conference, Ensign, Nov. 2009, 6)
HOW: How should we pray? 3 Ne. 17:13 21: And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel. And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him. Elder Bruce R. McConkie, a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained that our Father is glorified and exalted; he is an omnipotent being. And yet we his children [have] access, through prayer, to his presence. Almost by instinct, therefore, we do such things as bow our heads and close our eyes; fold our arms, or kneel, or fall on our faces. ( After This Manner Pray Ye, Ensign, Jan. 1996) Elder Russell M. Nelson: "To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to 'ask with a sincere heart [and] real intent, having faith in [Jesus] Christ' (Moroni 10:4). 'Real intent' means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given." ("Ask, Seek, Knock," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 81) President James E. Faust 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. ( The Lifeline of Prayer, Ensign, May 2002, 5) Elder John A. Widstoe: The holy spirit permeates all the things of the universe, material and spiritual. By the holy spirit the will of God is radio transmitted, broadcasted as it were. It forms what may be called the great system of communication among the intelligent beings of the universe. The holy spirit vibrate with intelligence; it takes up the word and will of God as given by him or by his personal agents, and transmits the message to the remotest parts of space. By the intelligent operation and infinite extent of the holy spirit, the whole universe is held together and made as one until By its means there is not remoteness into which intelligent beings may escape the dominating will of God. By the holy spirit, the Lord is always with us, and is nearer than breathing, and nearer than hands and feel.: //By the holy spirit, which fills every person, man may obtain information from the Lord. By its means comes the messages which transcend the ordinary methods of acquiring knowledge. By it man may readily communicate with God, or God with him. When a person utters his pray in faith, it is impressed upon the holy spirit, and transmitted, so that God may read the mans desire. (A Rational Theology, p. 72 24)
Help 2 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHETS Ask the class for examples of the following types of prayer and their personal experiences with each of them. Initiate each segment of the discussion with the following quotes. Sacred, Set Prayers Elder Mark E. Peterson: By revelation the Lord has given the Church three set prayers for use in our sacred ordinances. Except for these three prayers, the Lord seems to expect us to express ourselves in our own words as we approach him in supplication. All three of these revealed prayers relate to the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, his crucifixion, and his burial and resurrection. All of the ordinances in which we use these prayers place us under solemn covenants of obedience to God. They are the sacrament of the Lord s Supper and the ordinance of baptism. ( Sacred, Set Prayers from Prayer, Deseret Book Co., SLC, 1977: 56) Public Pres. Spencer W. Kimball: Difficult as it seems, I have found when praying, other than in private and secret, that it is better to be concerned with communicating tenderly and honestly with God, rather than worrying over what the listeners may be thinking. The echoing of amen by the listeners is evidence of their accord and approval. Of course, the setting of prayers needs to be taken into account. This is one reason why public prayers, or even family prayers, cannot be the whole of our praying. (Conf. Rep. Oct. 1979) Elder Harmon Rector, Jr.: The language of public prayer should be respectful, using the declaration of reverent pronouns, thee rather than the familiar you. In public prayers he who is the voice should also speak of we rather than I because he is invoking in behalf of the whole group or audience rather than himself only. It is also well to avoid too frequent repletion of the name of God. (See D&C 107:4.) In content, the payer should be directed to the Lord and not used to impress listeners as rhetoric. It should be neither ceremonious nor sanctimonious. Sincere, simple, direct, specific public prayer is best with appropriate consideration for the event at hand and conditions that may exist and affect all present. ( Our Prayers in Public from Prayer, Deseret Book Co., SLC, 1977: 69) Personal or Private Elder Marvin J. Ashton : Often as I am moved by the prayers of small children, the truth, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:3), has profound significance on my mind. I am reminded that perhaps our prayers cannot enter the kingdom of God unless they are childlike in faith, humility and purpose. Children seem to have a very personal way of talking to God. They speak to him without fear as a friend. Yes, they seem to speak to him as if he were right there with them. Their words are powerful in directness and simplicity // From these beginnings I learned early that personal prayers are our own business, and nothing is too unimportant for God. // Our personal prayers need not be long, but I think it appropriate to remind all that they should be more frequent. ( Personal Prayers from Prayer, Deseret Book Co., SLC, 1977: 74 76) Informal One way to pray always is to have Christ and his teachings influencing our every moment. D&C 6:36: Look unto me in every thought
Elder Marion D. Hanks: The records are clear and understandable. WE are to be prayerful and thankful in our hearts always, to seek his presence regularly, and to talk over with him all the matters that concern us, large and small. We are to go to him in times of penitence and in times of gratitude; when we need wisdom, when our souls hunger, when we have need to commune with him. Yet he expects us to come with our minds and hearts right an our spirits in tune, ready to yield our hearts unto him. ( Preparation for Prayer, from Prayer, Deseret Book Co., SLC, 1977:27) Family Elder George O. Cannon: No family that fails to attend to family prayers in the proper season can keep up with the progress of the Kingdom of God. Such families fall behind in everything. They become dark in their minds, dull in their spirits and lose what little faith they may possess. (Gospel Truth, 2:168 169) Pres. Spencer W. Kimball: We have so much need for our Heavenly Father s help as we seek to learn gospel truth and then live them, and as we seek his help in the decisions of our lives. It is especially in our family circles where our children can learn how to talk to Heavenly Father by listening to their parents. They can learn about heartfelt and honest prayer from such experiences. (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.116) Couple Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley: I know of no single practice that will have a more salutary effect upon your lives than the practice of kneeling together as you begin and close each day. Somehow the little storms that seem to afflict every marriage are dissipated when, kneeling before the Lord, you thank him for one another, in the presence of one another, and then you invoke his blessings upon your lives, your home, your loved ones, and your dreams. // God will then be your partner, and your daily conversations with him will bring peace into your hearts and a joy into your lives that can come from no other source. Your companionship will sweeten through the years; your loves will strengthen. Your appreciate for one another will grow. (Conf. Rep. April 1971) Help 3: TESTIMONIES Pre assign members of the Relief Society to briefly share their conversion experience: specifically the role that the Holy Ghost played as a testifier and witness.
Help 4: BEGIN WITH A POWERFUL QUOTE AND END YOUR LESSON WITH A POWERFUL HYMN OPENING What commandment does the Lord repeat more often than any other? Elder Marion G. Romney: There isn t any commandment from the Lord that is repeated more often than the commandment to pray to the Lord (ACR, Taipei, 1957:7) Why is that? Elder Marion G. Romney: Prayer is the key that opens the door to the Spirit of the Lord. (ACR, Taipei, 1957:7) CLOSING Have a sister or other member of the ward perform Prayer is the Soul s Sincere Desire Hynm no. 220. Prayer is the soul s sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed, The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The falling of a tear, The upward glancing of an eye, When none but God is near. Prayer is the simplest form of speech That infant lips can try, Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach The Majesty on high. Prayer is the Christian s vital breath, The Christian s native air; His watchword at the gates of death; He enters heaven with prayer. Oh, thou by whom we come to God, The Life, the Truth, the Way! The path of prayer thyself hast trod; Lord, teach us how to pray. Copyright Ramona Zabriskie 2010 MonasMusings.com MonasGospelMusings.blogspot.com You can find Mona on Facebook at Mona s Musings