
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in my sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:14

"Believe in prayer and the power of prayer. Pray to the Lord with the expectation of answers. I suppose there is not a man or woman in this entire congregation today who doesn't pray. I hope that is so. The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries - we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, contemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another. 'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord' (Isaiah 1:18). That is the invitation. Believe in the power of prayer - it is real, it is wonderful, it is tremendous." (Gordon B. Hinckley, Smithfield/Logan Utah Regional Conference, April 21, 1996; see "Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley" p. 469)

"Praying helps us to face trials in life. Prayer centers our attitudes precisely. With that focus, we do not wander to the right or left through land mines with traps of temptation. Disciples do not flirt with danger at the jagged edge of disaster. Experienced mountain climbers do not lean toward the dangerous edge but toward safety, with ropes and other safeguards to secure them in those they trust. So it is with us. When we climb mountainous challenges of life, we should lean toward our Master and be yoked with him, clinging tightly to the iron rod of the gospel, to family, and to trusted friends."
"The Lord said, 'Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not' (D&C 6:36). I have learned that such faith gives emancipating power. Facing God first lets us decide firmly what we shall not do; then we are free to pursue what we ought to do." (Russell M. Nelson, "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods," General Conference April 1996; see Ensign, May 1996, p. 16)
In our lat lesson we briefly discussed three aspects of prayer: (1)What is prayer?, (2)Why pray?, and (3) How to pray. We begin this lesson by stating the condition for receiving forgiveness when we pray.
After the Lord had given His disciples an example of how to pray (see Matthew 6:9-13), He says unto them, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14, 15). We read similar words of our Savior in Mark 11:24-26, "Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." The lesson here is simply this - forgiveness of man is the condition for forgiveness by man.
We, like Peter, may often wonder how often we should forgive someone who sins against us. Peter felt that seven times was sufficient, but notice the Lord's reply in Matthew 18:22, "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." In other words, what the Lord was teaching Peter as well as us today is that no matter how many times a brother or sister sins against us we should always find it in our hearts to forgive them.
For the remainder of this lesson I would like to present several different aspects of prayer for your consideration. I will merely list each one with the associated Scripture verses so that you may review them for yourselves at your convenience. I will cover six different areas:
1. Kinds of Prayer
2. Parts of Prayer
3. Personal Requirements of Prayer
4. General Requirements of Prayer
5. Posture Used in Prayer
6. Times for Prayer
Kinds of Prayer
1. Secret - Matthew 6:6
2. Family - Acts 10:2, 30
3. Group - Matthew 18:20
4. Public - 1 Corinthians 14:14-17
Parts of Prayer
1. Adoration - Daniel 4:34, 35
2. Confession - 1 John 1:9
3. Supplication - 1 Timothy 2:1-3
4. Intercession - James 5:15
5. Thanksgiving - Philippians 4:6
Personal Requirements of Prayer
1. Purity of Heart - Psalm 66:18-19
2. Believing - Matthew 21:22
3. In Christ's Name - John 14:13,14
4. According to God's Will - 1 John 5:14,15
General Requirements of Prayer
1. Forgiving Spirit - Matthew 6:14
2. Simplicity - Matthew 6:5,6
3. Humility and Repentance - Luke 18:10-14
4. Unity of Believers - Matthew 18:19,20
5. Tenacity - Luke 18:1-8
6. Importunity - Luke 11:5-8
7. Intensity - Matthew 7:7-11
8. Confident Expectation - Mark 11:24
9. Without Many Words - Matthew 6:7
10. Unceasingly - 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Posture Used in Prayer
1. Standing - Nehemiah 9:5
2. Kneeling - Ezra 9:5
3. Sitting - 1 Chronicles 17:16-27
4. Bowing - Exodus 34:8
5. Hands Uplifted - 1 Timothy 2:8
Times of Prayer
1. Daily, In the Morning - Psalm 5:3; 88:13; 143:8; Isaiah 33:2
2. Twice Daily - Psalm 88:1
3. Thrice daily - Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10
4. All Night - Luke 6:12
5. Without Ceasing - 1 Thessalonians 5:17
6. In Secret - Matthew 5:6
7. Silently - Psalm 5:1
May we be found "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints," casting all of our cares upon Him for He cares for us. This is my humble, heartfelt prayer in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Joseph Smith's First Prayer
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