Friday, December 9, 2016

Power of Prayer 3 Nephi 1:11

3 Nephi 1:11

Power of Prayer
What
 11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
Why
Nephi prayed mightily because he was sorry for the wicked who would not believe and he especially feared that they were going to destroy the righteous because of their beliefs.

Pattern

Doctrine and Covenants 90:1

1 Thus saith the Lord, verily, verily I say unto you my son, thy sins are forgiven thee, according to thy petition, for thy prayers and the prayers of thy brethren have come up into my ears.

Mosiah 27:14

14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.

Mormon 5:21

21 And also the Lord will remember the prayers of the righteous, which have been put up unto him for them.

Romans 12:12

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Doctrine and Covenants 103:36

36 All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayersof faith.

1 Timothy 2:1

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

Job 22:27

27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

1 Peter 3:12

12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Ephesians 6:18

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Christ

3 Nephi 19:8

8 And when they had ministered those same words which Jesus had spoken—nothing varying from the words which Jesus had spoken—behold, they knelt again and prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus.

3 Nephi 20:31

31 And they shall believe in me, that I am JesusChrist, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name.






Conference
APRIL 2003 | Sweet Power of Prayer
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

How to Pray

Jesus taught us how.4 We pray to our Heavenly Father,5 in the name of Jesus Christ,6 by the power of the Holy Ghost.7 This is the “true order of prayer,”8 in contrast to “vain repetitions”9 or recitations given to “be seen of men.”10
Jesus revealed that we pray to a wise Father who knows what things we have need of, before we ask Him.11
Mormon taught his son, Moroni, that we should pray “with all the energy of heart.”12 Nephi exclaimed, “I pray continually for [my people] by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, … and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.”13
The sweet power of prayer can be intensified by fasting, on occasion, when appropriate to a particular need.14
Prayers can be offered even in silence. One can think a prayer, especially when words would interfere.15 We often kneel to pray; we may stand or be seated.16 Physical position is less important than is spiritual submission to God.

When to Pray

When should we pray? The Lord said, “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good.”19
Alma said, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God.”20
We pray privately, with our families regularly, at mealtime, and in daily activities. Simply summarized, we are a praying people.

Inquire of the Lord

When we pray, we should not presume to give counsel but should inquire of the Lord24 and hearken to His counsel.25 Joseph Smith’s first prayer ushered in the Restoration of the gospel.26 In 1833, he received the Word of Wisdom after asking the Lord for counsel.27 The revelation on the priesthood received in 1978 by President Spencer W. Kimball came after intense inquiry.28 Inspiration regarding the construction of smaller temples came after the pondering of President Gordon B. Hinckley.29

Answers to Prayers

Not all of our prayers will be answered as we might wish. Occasionally the answer will be no. We should not be surprised. Loving mortal parents do not say yes to every request of their children.30
We should pray in accord with the will of our Heavenly Father.32 He wants to test us, to strengthen us, and to help us achieve our full potential. When the Prophet Joseph Smith was held in Liberty Jail, he pled for relief. His prayers were answered with an explanation: “All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.”33

Our Prayer to Thee
We pray to Thee, our Heavenly Father,
With grateful hearts and fond emotion.
We thank Thee for our great Exemplar—
Thy beloved and atoning Son—
Who gave Himself as sacred ransom,
That we could live again with Thee!
Our joy is full, our song so gladsome;
Renew our faith and hope in Thee.
We pray to Thee, our Heavenly Father,
With thankful hearts and adoration.
We thank Thee for our loving Savior,
Who redeemed us from death and sin;
He gave to us His truth to brighten
Our path, to help us walk His way,
To love and serve, to lift and lighten
The lives of all who will obey.

We pray to Thee, our Heavenly Father,
With gratitude and deep devotion
For loving faith and endless splendor—
Eternal glory—bound as one!
We pray for mercy and forgiveness
And hope to know Thy holy will.
We yearn for Thee, we plead in meekness,
Thy trust in us may we fulfill.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Apply
Prayer can always be improved upon, Let us analyze how we can better pray with more conviction and faith .
I have a testimony of prayer and fasting and of the blessings we can receive. We cannot take away another's agency but we can pray that they will make better choices. We can pray for protection for ourselves and guidance. How will I live my life that I may be a better servant to God? How can I help others to do what is right? What would the Lord have me do? I can ask for blessings upon others and especially those I know and love. I can see the answers to those prayers but I cannot control what other's do, only influence them and ask sometimes for divine intervention. Every prayer should close with “thy will be done” if not, we might get the very thing we asked for even if it is the wrong thing.

Pray for mercy and forgiveness.
Always remember to express gratitude for the Savior and for all the blessings we receive. Gratitude is the stuff happiness is made of.

Hymns
140-did You Think To Pray
144- Secret Prayer

Children
12 A Child's Prayer

14-I Pray In Faith 

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