What God Wants Me to Pray

Christians of the ancient church in Corinth enjoyed the gifts of the Spirit, and in particular, they coveted the gift of speaking in tongues as a sign of spiritual enlightenment. The Apostle Paul wrote to them, however, that spiritual gifts have a purpose, and that purpose is to increase understanding. He cautioned that speaking in tongues was of no value unless someone was present who could also interpret the words spoken. In other words, the delivery of a spiritual message is of no value if the receivers do not understand the message.

Then he said this about prayer: 

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
--1 Corinthians 14:15 

The specific intent of this verse in its context was to instruct the saints to not rely on praying, singing and speaking in tongues if no one can interpret. Public prayer, song, and speech are for the edifying of all, not just the speaker. 

Another fundamental principle, however, is highlighted in this verse. Regardless of the language I use, I should pray by the Spirit, meaning by inspiration from the Holy Ghost, both in private and in public. I ought not to just rattle off a familiar set of words, which is the definition of vain repetition. 

An effective, meaningful prayer is guided by the Holy Spirit. I am fascinated by the notion that Heavenly Father will dictate to me the very prayer He wants me to send back to Him. It reminds me of teaching my children to pray when they were first learning to talk. I would whisper phrases in their little ears that they would then repeat aloud as their prayer. Eventually they learned to say those things on their own. 

I now pray each evening with my grandson. At twelve years of age, he needs to move beyond the memorized phrases of his childhood, so before we pray, we talk about what topics should be included in our prayer. We make a list of things we are grateful for specifically in that day and the things for which we should ask for the coming day. Properly prepared with meaningful thoughts, one or the other of us give voice to our gratitude and petitions in prayer.

Praying by the Holy Spirit is a little like that. If I pause before starting my personal prayer and give the Spirit a chance, He reminds me of the blessings I have received and brings to my attention the things I may need. He can remind me of my many weaknesses, mistakes for which I should repent, and help for which I should plead. Investing a few moments in preparation pays marvelous dividends in meaningful prayer. 

The purpose of prayer is not to change God but to change me, and nothing penetrates and changes my heart more powerfully than the Holy Ghost. So, if I want to pray a prayer acceptable to God, I should listen to the Holy Ghost to find out what God wants me to pray about.

Persistently Consistent

The Apostle Paul exhorted the faithful followers of Christ in these words:  

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
--Romans 12:12

The phrase "continuing instant in prayer" means to be constantly persistent in our prayers. A prayer binge followed by silent indifference or prolonged distraction is a formula for failure with God. Sometimes our trials persist so that our prayers persist. Persistent prayers lead to persistent hope, which produces persistent joy. 

When I pray persistently and consistently, I can rejoice in hope and patiently endure tribulations. The three are related and dependent. Tribulation teaches practical patience, and prayer adds to my patience. I pray for the gift of patience, not only in my trials but in all good things. The answer to my prayers is hope, and once I have hope, I can rejoice, even in tribulations. 

Persistence is not the same as vain repetition. Vain repetition comes from thoughtlessly reciting words that may have had meaning once but are now hollow. We may have felt good about a particular prayer the first time, so we repeat it over and over again hoping it will make us feel good again. It is not prayer to God but a therapeutic exercise directed at ourselves. 

Persistent prayer may be repetitive, but it is filled with faith, hope, and expectation. It is an expression of my trust and patience in a God who knows best and whose timing is best from an eternal perspective, especially when my mortal perspective is temporally myopic. I constantly let God know I wait in faith and trust in His divine wisdom. Trials come and go, and in their wake they leave enlivened hope, increased joy, solid patience, and ever blossoming prayer.

Secret Sauce of Effectual Prayer

A brother in Elder's Quorum meeting lamented that he doesn't know how to pray very well because so many of his prayers go unanswered. He felt that he was missing the secret sauce of successful prayer, that he was somehow missing an element of faith or obedience that would unlock the mystery of communicating effectively with God. I think perhaps the members of Christ's ancient church in Rome may have had similar feelings, for Paul wrote to them with the following counsel:

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
--Romans 8:26

The Holy Ghost teaches us what we should pray for. The Lord, after all, knows what we need before we ask. The purpose of prayer is not to make God align with us but to align us with Him. So, seeking instruction from the Holy Spirit about our prayers only makes sense.

If there is secret sauce to effectual prayer, it is this principle of revelation through the Holy Ghost. Getting answers from God is not like learning to be the wizard's apprentice. The wizard's apprentice could never get the magic spells to work right because he inevitably failed to follow the wizard's instructions to the letter. The apprentice always left out some obscure, seemingly insignificant step, and then the spell would go all wrong. 

While we may be apprentices in the practice of prayer, Heavenly Father is not a cross and vengeful wizard. He is our loving Father. Getting answers is not about doing everything just right or asking just the right question in just the right way. God is not tricky. He is not hard to find and follow. He doesn't smirk or grimace when we fumble. He hears even the most rudimentary and inarticulate prayers.

He does not wait for us to stumble onto the magic incantation of the perfect prayer formula. He simply wants us to reach out to Him, no matter how imperfect our prayer, our approach, and our lives may be. 

If we want the secret sauce of prayer, we should seek to know God's will -- what He wants for us and His timing. If we learn to pray for what He wants when He wants it, our prayers will be answered every time.

Jesus Prays for Me

On the night of Jesus's betrayal, after concluding the Last Supper, knowing He would shortly be separated from His disciples, Jesus offered the Intercessory Prayer in which He prayed for His friends. Among the petitions He presented to His Father were these words:

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
--John 17:9

I want Jesus to pray for me. Therefore, I must come out of the world. He does not pray for those who embrace the world, but only for those who embrace Him. I have made the covenants and entered the ordinances that make me His child. I have taken His name upon me. While I fail constantly to live up to my covenants, I am headed in the right direction. 

I am less of the world today than fifty years ago, forty years ago, or even ten years ago. As imperfect and weak as I am, I am giving myself to my Savior. And so, I believe He is praying for me. His prayers are so much better than mine. Surely the Father hears and answers the prayers of His Beloved Son. For this and many more reasons, my hope is in Christ.