Prayer's Preparation

Oliver Cowdery wanted to do more than simply take dictation from Joseph Smith as the prophet translated from the gold plates. Oliver wanted to be the one to translate and let Joseph be the scribe. Christ gave Oliver the opportunity to try. The results of his attempts disappointed Oliver. Joseph inquired of the Lord for Oliver what had gone wrong. The answer, in part, follows:

Behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
--Doctrine and Covenants 9:8

The usual interpretation of this verse is that Oliver didn't go about the translation process correctly. He should have studied the engravings on the plates, come to a decision about what he thought they meant, and then pray and ask God if his translation was correct.

While I don't dispute this rendition, I think the Lord was also talking about something more generally applicable regarding prayer. In the preceding verse, God said:

Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
--Doctrine and Covenants 9:7

In other words, Oliver had made no preparations to translate other than to simply ask God for permission. Joseph Smith had prepared himself for four years since he first learned that the plates existed. He was tutored by a heavenly messenger. And Oliver thought he could just jump in and start translating?

Further, Oliver hadn't really thought about his request. Verse 8 says that he should have studied his request out in his mind, counted the cost, and determined if this was really a good idea before taking it to the Lord for confirmation. Had he prepared better to make his request, the Holy Ghost could have revealed to him whether his desired course of action was in harmony with God's will.

Effective prayer requires preparation. We must do our homework. God has given us agency, intelligence, judgment, and the Light of Christ. One of our purposes in mortality is to learn to use these faculties. 

If the Lord handed us everything with no effort on our part, we would not develop the capabilities He wants us to have. When we have expended our efforts, He will tell us when we have it right or nudge us in a better direction if we have it wrong. We will know we have it right by the unmistakable feeling of assurance and peace that comes in answer to prayer.