Prayer is the Souls Sincere Desire...

Do your prayers bounce off the ceiling?

Is there a God, or am I just wasting my time speaking to the air? We all hope that there is a Higher Power that hears and answers us.  We all want to be comforted and assured that we are loved.  In the time of trouble and uncertainty, it is of great assurance to me that I have a loving Heavenly Father that knows me personally and cares about the minute details of my life. 

What kinds of things can we pray for? We can pray for the unity of our Country, for our President of the United States as well as the Church. We can pray for health and strength, to overcome sickness, to be protected, to do well in work and school.  We can pray for the lack of others.  As you can see there is a myriad of things we can pray for. What about praying for only thankfulness? We can pray while thanking our Heavenly Father for the safety we received throughout the day, for the health and strength we receive, for all the general blessings we have. 

We can pray individually and together as a couple or a family. When we pray together, we are united and will feel a sense of togetherness. As we pray collectively, we have the faith of others that can help us in our quest for the blessings we desire. Nathan Lambert, from our text, teaches that "A key aspect of coming to view a relationship as sacred is to first include God as an active member of the relationship." We can never go wrong with the Lord on our side. 

As we study things out in our minds, we can make decisions based on what we feel is right and then we kneel and pray for assurance or lack thereof regarding our choice. One of my favorite songs in "Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire" from the LDS Hymnal number 145.  It states, Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed, the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast. 

As we incorporate prayer into our lives, we will have the sweet feeling that someone cares about us and is always there when we need it.

Lambert, Nathan M. “Sanctification and Cooperation: How Prayer Helps Strengthen Relationships in Good Times and Heal Relationships in Bad Times.” (Hawkins, A. J., Dollahite, D. C., & Draper, T. (2012). Chapter 19 Successful marriages and families: proclamation principles and research perspectives. Provo, UT: BYU Studies and School of Family Life, Brigham Young University.