No Vain Repetition

After the resurrected Christ had spent a day with the faithful and now faith-filled Nephites in the Western Hemisphere, He ascended into heaven. By the next morning, word had spread throughout the region that the Messiah had come. Many thousands gathered to the place to learn more. The twelve chosen disciples baptized all who wanted to be baptized. Then the multitude prayed. 

Angels came and taught more doctrine to the twelve disciples. And while the angels were present with the people, Jesus Himself descended again and stood among the people. He commanded the crowd to kneel and pray again. Then, He separated Himself from the gathered worshipers and prayed to the Father for them. 

The scripture then records:

And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.
--3 Nephi 19:24

As part of my prayer practice, I too can ask what to pray for. The purpose of prayer is not to convince God to do my bidding but to align myself with His will and to access blessings that He is already willing to give me but which are predicated on my asking. Thus praying for what to pray for is a useful exercise. 

What the natural man within me thinks I need and what God knows I need are diametrically opposing views of myself. The key to a successful life is to overcome the natural man and accept the will of God. Prayer holds that key for me. 

I do not need to multiply, or repeat, vain repetitions to extend my prayers. It is not the length but the depth of the prayer that matters to God. A short, thoughtful, sincere prayer, followed by intense listening, is far more pleasing to the Lord than a long, pretentious oration full of trite phrases and empty platitudes meant more to please my own ears than reach God's heart.

Ripples in a Pool

The resurrected Jesus prayed among the multitude of His Nephite witnesses in the Western Hemisphere to set the example. He then gave them this commandment: 

Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.
--3 Nephi 18:21

Praying for others is an essential element of Christian discipleship. It is more than a suggestion or a good idea, it is a commandment. 

If my daily prayers do not include the seeking of blessings for others, my petitions for myself are in vain. Prayer is like ripples in a pool of water. They tend to start in the center with myself and then spread out in concentric circles to take in first those who are closest to me, then my extended family, neighbors and friends, my acquaintances, the broader community, my leaders (both secular and religious), the nation, and eventually even my enemies. 

Jesus teaches me here to begin with my immediate family and then work my way out. I pray in His name because I always try to pray His prayer—the kind of prayer He would offer in my circumstance. When I learn that kind of prayer, nothing will be withheld from me.

Most Frequent Promise

The resurrected Christ taught the following precept to his Nephite disciples in the Western Hemisphere:

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.
--3 Nephi 18:20

The most frequently repeated promise in scripture: ask and ye shall receive. The caveats are that 1) I must ask the Father; 2) I must ask in Christ's name, which means I must pray as He would pray; 3) I must pray for the right thing, which will be revealed to me by the Holy Ghost; and 4) I must truly believe that God can and will answer my prayer, which is to ask with real intent. 

Answers to prayers are not capricious or haphazard. God is anxious to bless me with all I can receive. When I ask, in faith, with an eye single to God's glory, and not My own vain ambition, I turn the key that lets God go to work.