The Season of Prayer

In the fall of 1831, four men asked Joseph Smith to inquire of the Lord for them concerning what God would have them do. Joseph received a revelation in response. The Lord took the opportunity to instruct not only the four men who originally asked but the entire Church. Among the instructions directed at the Church at large is this statement:

And a commandment I give unto them—that he that observeth not his prayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him be had in remembrance before the judge of my people.
--Doctrine and Covenants 68:33

Regular prayer is a commandment, and to refrain from prayer is a sin. The season to pray is when the Holy Ghost prompts me to pray. If I ignore that prompting from the Spirit, I am disobedient and rebellious. The Holy Spirit will withdraw from me as I further withdraw myself from God. 

Now, I can certainly pray even when the Spirit is not urging me to do so, but to resist the Spirit is a sin of which I must speedily repent when I catch myself. It is in those very times when I feel least inclined to pray that God reaches for me with the most compassion.

Invite the Spirit through Prayer

Section 42 of the Doctrine and Covenants was revealed to Joseph Smith in the early part of 1831, less than a year after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, and was identified by him as the "law of the Church." It specified principles by which the holders of the priesthood were to administer the Church and operate within it. 

The first principle of administration set forth in the revelation directed the Elders of the Church to preach the gospel to the world. This general commandment to teach and preach included the instruction to teach by the Spirit, meaning to teach as the Holy Ghost prompts and dictates. Within that instruction is the following injunction: 

And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.
--Doctrine and Covenants 42:14

We typically emphasize the second part of this verse. But I want to draw attention today to the first phrase. Before I can have the Holy Ghost's direction in what I teach, I must know how to acquire the presence of the Holy Ghost in my life.

This verse states clearly that I access the power of the Holy Ghost through prayer. Though I may have received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands following my baptism, I activate His influence in my life by asking for it. In other words, the bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost affords me the opportunity to have the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit, but the ordinance does not ensure that I will always retain that companionship.

The Holy Ghost resides with me only by my invitation. He honors my agency. He is easily offended by sin, both physical and mental. Hence, I must be constant in my repentance to resolve the offenses I give to the Holy Ghost through impure actions and thoughts. But I should not assume, simply because I have repented, that the Holy Ghost automatically takes up residence with me again. According to this revealed principle about how the Spirit operates, I must ask in faith for Him to return and abide with me.

I cannot take the Holy Spirit for granted. I must pray to the Father that He will send the Spirit to be with me, not only when I teach, but in all things. Only by asking and inviting can I experience the privilege of the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Getting On the Right Track

The Apostle John wrote:

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
--1 John 5: 14-15

The key to getting answers to prayer is to ask according to God's will. In other words, if I learn to ask for that which He already plans to give me, the answer is a slam dunk. I can't miss. When I know of a surety that I have asked correctly, I can have complete confidence I will receive what I asked for. 

So, if I want answers to my prayers, I must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, who reveals to me the mind and will of God, and then I have to go with it. When I stop fighting with God about what I want and submit to Him for what He wants, everything goes a lot smoother. 

God is going to get His way sooner or later anyway. I might as well sign up for the program right up front and get on the right track early.

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.

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.

Open the Universe

Jesus taught this amazing principle and promise about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
--Matthew 7:7-8

With this promise echoing in my mind, I know everything of God's is available to me. It's up to me, though, to take the first step. I must ask, seek, and knock. I must learn how to approach the Father, trust Him, listen to Him, have faith in Him, and accept His will. 

Sounds easy, right? Well, it's not so easy when God doesn't seem approachable in the middle of a hard day or a sleepless night, when worry is overpowering and pain is unrelenting. It can be hard to trust a Father who allows suffering and sorrow, who apparently wants to polish me with 100-grit sandpaper. His voice, if He is speaking at all, can hardly penetrate my thick skull and ears tuned more to the world's shouts for attention than to the gossamer whispers of the Holy Spirit. Faith - the anchor of the soul - threatens to break loose in the storms that spring up like winter gales and beat on me with no care for my stamina or energy. And the divine Will runs so counter to my earthly logic that it boggles me.  

As the pounding and pummeling of life continues, driving me to my knees when standing gets too hard, I think of the joke, "The beatings will continue until morale improves." I wonder, is that what God is doing to me? Is He beating me until I finally learn to believe His promise?

I believe He hears every prayer, even my casual, mundane daily invocations. But while I may be satisfied with vain repetitions, He is not. He wants more from me, and so He gives me more - more trials, more challenges, more troubles, more afflictions, more pain, more suffering - more of everything that strips me of my expectations of life and leaves me raw and vulnerable and, dare I say, humble. And when I finally cry in genuine need, in total despair - in honest prayer - He answers. He sends the Comforter. He gives strength where there was none. He fans an ember of hope that was all but dead. Another day dawns, and life goes on. And I'm still here.

If I can ever quit trying to do things my way and let Him do things His way, the universe will open to me.