The Importance and Necessity of Prayer in Our Lives - Part 2 (Revision 2)

·Note: This is a continuing study on the importance and necessity of prayer in our daily lives. A much abbreviated form of these notes were used to present a lesson on prayer to a Junior High boys’ Sunday school class on 19 September 1993 while I was still a member of the Baptist church. The original notes were later revised and new material was added on 02 August 2000. On 16 January 2009 the notes were revised once again and are now presented here for all to read.

"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

President Gordon B. Hinckley on the Power of Prayer
"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)

Elder Russell M. Nelson on Keeping Faith in God
"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

Jan

An Open Message to the Youth of the World

I do not mean to come across as being callous, cruel, or mean-spirited, but the older I get, the more discouraged and dishearten I become as I watch some of our young people - the future of our world, place themselves in a proverbial box called defeatism.

A New Day Dawning

Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that in just a few short hours another year will have come and gone and will have taken its place among the annals of history.

Where is He?

Wise men of old came from afar asking the timeless question, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2). Following the star that they had seen in the east, they were led to where the Christ Child was.

The Special Gift That Was Given

The tiny babe who in Bethlehem’s manger lay was no ordinary child. Some people called Him the son of David. Others called Him the son of Joseph. The scriptures call Him the son of David, the son of Mary, the son of man, the Son of God.

The Last Full Measure of Devotion

Every year, 11 November is set aside as the day that we celebrate Veterans Day.

To The Unknown God

The Apostle Paul Preaching At the Areopagus (Mars Hill)

While on his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul visited the city of Troas on the Mediterranean coast. While in Troas, a vision appeared to Paul in the night.

Why do good things happen to bad people?

I know that someone is going to read the title of this article and their first thought is going to be, "Keith, I think that you might have that a little backwards.

In the Service of Our God

The word “service” can be defined as the action of helping or doing work for someone. “Service” can also be defined as someone’s contribution to the welfare of others.

September Morning - Lest We Forget

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

Entrance to the Kingdom of God

This talk was given on Saturday, September 03, 2011, on the occasion of the baptism of Andrew Jerry Calabrese.

All Hands On Deck!

With Hurricane Irene now behind us, I would like to use the analogy of a ship caught in a raging storm at sea to share my personal reflections and thoughts on how we as a family and as a Church should care for and protect one another during a time of crisis.

Lessons My Father Taught Me

My father, the late John Wallace Brown, began working as a short-order cook during his High School years and continued working in that profession up until the time of his death on 20 November 2006, at 71 years of age. He would be promoted during his career to Kitchen Manager.

Where do you go from here?

This is an open address to the students of today and the future teachers and leaders of tomorrow to give them some food for thought as they begin a brand new school year.

Good morning. I would like to begin my remarks today by asking each of you a question.

The Parable of the Street Sweeper

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the clarion voice of the American Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated on the evening of Thursday, 4 April 1968, at the young age of 39 years, while standing on the balcony of his room (room 306) at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee.

Scammers, Scallywags, Vagabonds, and Thieves

I am but a young man of 52 years. However, within my short life time I have slowly watched the world spin out of control on a downward spiral. Many of the nonsensical things that are occurring in our day and time would have never been thought of or heard of when I was a young lad growing up.

The Deadly Poison Of Hearsay

All of us are probably guilty at one time or another of participating in idle gossip and hearsay. How many times have we been a part of a conversation that begins something like the following: “I don’t know if it is true or not, but I heard that ____”? And we can each fill in the blank.

Jul

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God and thy neighbor as thyself

In the twenty-second chapter of Matthew, beginning at verse 34, we read of a Pharisee, who was a lawyer by trade, who asks the Savior a question by saying, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" The Savior answers him by saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and

Just Stay Focused!

My father, the late John Wallace Brown, was a hard working man. As a young boy growing up it was not uncommon for my father to work two or three jobs just to pay the bills, keep food on the table, and a roof over his little family’s head.

Peace in the Midst of A Storm

This talk was given on the occasion of the baptism of Josephine Mae Hunter on 11 June 2011 in Annapolis Maryland.

“God does not send thunder if a still, small voice is enough” (Ensign, November 1976, p.14) - Neal A. Maxwell

President Howard W.

Excuses, Excuses!

Someone once said, "The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse." Some people seem to have a knack for always having an excuse as to why they cannot do something, no matter how simple or difficult the task at hand may be.

I Am Sorry

I am sorry - three little words - eight letters - and yet one of the most difficult things for some people to say. Perhaps it is the word “sorry” that some people seem to have so much trouble with, for as Sir Elton John, the singer/songwriter says in his song, sorry seems to be the hardest word.

And Be Ye Thankful

Alma 26:8 - "Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever."

Traditionally, every third Thursday in November is set aside for the celebration of Thanksgiving Day.

Faded Photographs - Precious Memories

I have always enjoyed listening to the music of the late James Joseph Croce, better known to the world simply as Jim Croce. His was a very unique style of music, especially the ballads that he wrote and sang. Two of my favorite songs by Jim are “Time In A Bottle” and “Photographs and Memories”.

The Family Table

Growing up as a boy on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in what was at that time known as the little town of Salisbury; I can recall the good times that we had as a family gathered around the family table.

Onward Christian Soldiers

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

The Qualities Of A Good Leader

Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is all about people--motivating people to get the job done.

My Sister, My Friend

On Friday, 10 May 1963, a baby girl was born to John Wallace and Frances Mae Harmon Brown. The parents named her Sharon Christine Brown. She would be their third child. At the time of her birth I was only four years of age.

Choosing the Right

And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.

Decisions, Decisions

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, how long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. - 1 Kings 18:21

Pythagoras is attributed as saying, "Choices are the hinges of destiny".

Those Were the Days!

As I take a look around my small, but humble apartment, I am absolutely amazed at how pampered and spoiled I really am. In my apartment I have all sorts of electronic gadgets that are used on a daily basis to help make my life easier.

The Blessings Of Giving

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Do Unto Others

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Mar

God Is Not Mocked

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

The Law of the Harvest

If the Foundations Be Destroyed

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

The central core of the foundation of any society is the home. President Thomas S. Monson has taught us, “Actually, a home is much more than a house.