A couple months ago I was asked to give a talk in church and the theme was from a conference talk given by Elder J. Devn Cornish entitled the Privilege of Prayer.
This talk was given in the Sunday afternoon session of the 2011 October Conference. His message is simple "Prayer is one of the most precious gifts of God to man." Here is a link to this talk so that you can read the whole thing! I just loved this talk- it really touched my heart (maybe it's because I had to study it in depth so that I could talk about it... or maybe it's because it's true. Either way I recommend it!)
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-privilege-of-prayer?lang=eng
Here is my testimony of both this talk and the power of prayer:
God, our Heavenly Father is real. He loves us and knows us! He is a fan of us!! Elder Cornish told a story about finding money on the ground so that he could buy some chicken, thus reminding him of God's tender mercies. I have a story of my own to tell. Every year on my birthday I try to really look at my life. I look at the past and see where I've come from, I see what I've been through and how far I've come. Then I imagine my future. I decide what goals I want to work on, set a plan, and dream of all the many good things I can do in this life. This year as I was considering my life I knelt down in prayer to thank my Heavenly Father for all that he has given me. As I sat there after my prayer had ended I heard a distinct voice tell me "Happy Birthday Nicole. I love you." Now- as per my blog title my name is Tiffani, this is very true. However, my middle name is Nicole and those who are close to me (family really) call me Nikki. Being called Nikki, for me is a sign of endearment and love- so for my Father in Heaven to call me Nicole is a great reminder that he is aware of me. We are important to him!
Here's an outline of how we pray, and you can use it every time you decide to talk to your Heavenly Father- he is, after all, waiting for your call!
We address our Heavenly Father, acknowledge and thank him for the many blessings we have been given (you can name them one by one- or if you're new at it it's fine to lump them into groups too!). We let him know that we are accepting of his will, and that we are trying our best to do what he would have us do. We can ask for blessings, we can never have too many blessings! An essential part of prayer is repentance (this is something for personal prayers-not public prayers). We simply acknowledge that we have done wrong and ask for forgiveness and the strength to do better. We close in the name of Jesus Christ.
Elder Hales gives an amazing talk about answers to prayers this link will take you to that talk! http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/waiting-upon-the-lord-thy-will-be-done?lang=eng
Elder Hales says that "sometimes I do not receive an answer to a prayer because the Lord knows I am not ready. When He does answer, it is often “here a little and there a little” because that is all that I can bear or all I am willing to do." and he goes on to say "We may not know when or how the Lord’s answers will be given, but in His time and His way, I testify, His answers will come. For some answers we may have to wait until the hereafter. This may be true for some promises in our patriarchal blessings and for some blessings for family members. Let us not give up on the Lord. His blessings are eternal, not temporary."
I know that waiting for the answer to our prayers is tough- one of the hardest things that we have to do in this life, but it is worth the wait. The Lord has promised us riches beyond our imaginations and asked very little of us. The least we can do it wait!
Elder Hales talk was what I needed to hear at the time that I read it. These two talks remind me of my Father in Heaven's love for me and all of you! What a blessing it is to know without doubt who I am and what I here for.
To finish I just want to close with a quote by President Thomas S. Monson. "To those within the sound of my voice who are struggling with the challenges and difficulties large and small, prayer is the provider of spiritual strength; it is the passport to peace. Prayer is the means by which we approach our Father in Heaven, who loves us. Speak to Him in prayer and then listen for the answer. Miracles are wrought through prayer."
I encourage you to read the two talks listed in this post and maybe even to look around the lds.org website for more information about prayer and answers.
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