Category: Prayer

For followers and students of Jesus Christ, nothing is more vital, essential, and precious than prayer. Our Lord Himself exemplified dedication, devotion, and reliance on prayer throughout His mortal ministry. Christ repeatedly taught the power and importance of prayer. Through direct instruction, His parables, and His own example, our Lord was, and still is today, very clear on the essential role which prayer must play in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Prayer, when rightly understood and integrated into the life of a Christian believer, serves primarily to draw us closer to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This intimate connection with God through Christ is the central purpose, and outcome of every action a Christian undertakes. As Christ declared in His great Intercessory Prayer, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Our relationship with Christ is not merely a byproduct of living His gospel; rather, it is the objective of every effort we make to follow Him. It is only through this personal, private, and intimate relationship with Christ that we experience the internal transformation which is the purpose of our lives.

President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “The Lord works from the inside out. … Christ can change human nature” (“Born of God,” October 1985 General Conference). The scriptures affirm that “the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” (Mosiah 3:19, Book of Mormon). Transformation, or sanctification, is the purpose and objective of our mortal existence. This process is gradual, continuous, and extends beyond this life into eternity. It occurs only through Jesus Christ, enabled by the infinite power of His Atoning sacrifice. As we live in Christ, drawing near and remaining close to Him through daily, personal communion, this transformative process unfolds, reshaping our very nature.

In this context, prayer emerges as a powerful and essential part of our lives, serving as the cornerstone of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The strength of any personal relationship hinges on communication, and through our daily efforts in prayer, we draw closer to God through Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit. This communion facilitates our inward transformation, infusing our lives with the love, power, hope, strength, and joy that only Christ can provide in every circumstance. As we are transformed inwardly, our outward expressions naturally reflect this change. We feel a growing desire to demonstrate our love for Christ by keeping His commandments, as He taught: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Moreover, we experience an increased love for others, fostering a desire to serve them on Christ’s behalf. We likewise naturally develop a desire to share His love, finding joy in preaching, teaching, and testifying of Him. These acts become an authentic expression of our transformed nature as we deepen our personal relationship with Christ. Prayer is essential to initiating, sustaining, and strengthening this relationship, making it indispensable to every facet of our lives as disciples, followers, believers, and students of Christ.

With this understanding, we comprehend the essence of a “prayer life,” which encompasses our daily commitment to communing with God. Far more than a mere rule or ritual, prayer becomes an integral, living part of our daily life. It becomes vital, indispensable, beautiful, and powerful. Our prayer life shapes our identity, weaving itself into the fabric of who we are as disciples of Christ.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a devoted twelfth-century follower of Christ and renowned theologian, taught extensively on the nature of prayer. He described prayer as a sacred conversation with God which fosters unity with Him. Saint Bernard taught that prayer is an expression of love. In his words, “True prayer is nothing but love.” In fact, Saint Bernard likened prayer to a “ladder of love,” beginning at the lowest rung with our personal needs, where we cry out to God for help and support. As we consistently make time for the Lord and strive to do better and be better in our daily prayer efforts, our prayer life emerges and progresses.

The development of a prayer life often unfolds in a distinct pattern:

• Need: We acknowledge our dependence on God, seeking His provision for our temporal and spiritual needs.
• Gratitude: Blessed by His grace, we feel a natural desire to thank God for His divine character, His countless blessings, and the faith He sustains within us.
• Love: We cultivate a heartfelt longing to commune with God simply because we love Him.
• Communion: Through the Holy Spirit, we develop a personal and private relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks to us directly, personally, and regularly. We learn to rely wholly upon Him for all things, in all circumstances, and begin to learn the true meaning of “living in Christ.”

The development and strengthening of a powerful prayer life depends not only on our daily efforts but also on incorporating essential elements required in order to make prayer effective in deepening our relationship with Christ. Consistency and regularity are foundational. As President Russell M. Nelson has taught, we must “make time for the Lord,” which includes setting aside dedicated moments each day for prayer. Establishing two or three specific times daily to pause and pray can profoundly impact our lives. Even brief prayer, if sincere and heartfelt, is spiritually powerful, and can serve to train our hearts to remain connected to God throughout each day.

While frequency is vital, the quality of our prayers is equally significant. Our prayers must be sincere and humble expressions of our thoughts, feelings, desires, and needs to our loving Heavenly Father. As Jesus taught in Matthew 6:7, effective prayer flows from the heart, not from meaningless repetition. When we openly and honestly share our feelings, fears, struggles, needs, and aspirations with God, we are in fact acting upon our faith in His reality, mercy, love, and omnipotent power. Heartfelt prayer is an act of faith, reflecting our belief that God is real, that He knows and loves us, and that He will respond. As Jesus declared, “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22), illustrating that faith in Him unleashes divine power in our lives. Though God knows our needs before we ask (Matthew 6:8), the act of asking in sincere prayer invites His love and transformative power into our lives.

We should always approach God with reverence. However, we must also ensure that our prayers are open, honest, and participatory. By praying, and then listening attentively for God’s response, anticipating the infinite ways He may speak to us through the Holy Spirit, we further demonstrate our faith. This active engagement in prayer strengthens our connection to God through His son Jesus Christ, and aligns our hearts with His will.

Scripture forms the foundation of every aspect of a Christian’s life, including prayer. John Knox, the sixteenth-century Scottish Reformer, founder of the Church of Scotland, father of Presbyterianism, and my 12th great-grandfather, taught that prayer must be rooted in Scripture. He asserted that a prayer life disconnected from God’s Word lacks authenticity, describing prayer as “an earnest and familiar talking with God, to whom we declare our miseries, whose support and help we implore, and in whom we render thanks for benefits received” (Knox 1554, in McClure 1902, 12). Knox taught that  scripture shapes prayer by revealing God’s character, guiding our approach to Him, and providing promises to  the believer which enable us to approach God with confidence and reverence (Fedler 2006, 112–13). As the Bible commands believers to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and assures us of God’s response (1 John 5:14–15), we should therefore be bold yet humble in our prayerful supplication.

Knox emphasized the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) as the ideal model for Christian prayer, unpacking its significance in his treatise A Declaration of Prayer (Knox 1554, in Laing 1895, 4:89–104). He also viewed the Psalms as a divinely inspired prayer book, modeling how to express sorrow, praise, confession, and supplication with honesty before God (e.g., Psalm 51; Psalm 100).

The prayers of Jesus, such as the High Priestly Prayer (John 17) and His agonizing prayer in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–44; Mark 14:32–41; Luke 22:39–46; John 18:1), further exemplify heartfelt communion with the Father, offering believers a profound template for prayer.

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, living in the dispensation of the fullness of times, the Book of Mormon provides additional sacred examples of prayer. “Nephi’s Psalm” (2 Nephi 4:16–35) is a powerful model, where the prophet Nephi pours out his soul in sorrow, hope, and rejoicing in the Lord, exemplifying sincere and heartfelt prayer. Similarly, Enos’s prayer (Enos 1:1–18) chronicles a transformative wrestle with God, progressing from repentance to intercession. Enos’s relatable experience offers an inspiring example for individuals at any stage of life, demonstrating how sincere prayer invites the love and power of Jesus Christ into our lives, fostering hope and spiritual growth.

In conclusion, let us remember that the Lord calls us to balance, not extremes, in our spiritual lives. While the phrase “moderation in all things” is often attributed to scriptural wisdom, it reflects the Savior’s invitation to strive daily with steady faith (see Ecclesiastes 7:16–18). Christ asks only for our sincere daily efforts, and our best, however imperfect, is always sufficient in His grace. When we recognize the need to strengthen our prayer life, we should gently refocus without guilt, trusting in His mercy.

Through prayer, we draw closer to Christ, receive His grace for transformation, and find strength to repent and serve as He did. This daily communion fuels and shapes true discipleship. As covenant disciples, we most fully embody our identity as followers of Christ. This begins when we begin and end each day kneeling in heartfelt prayer.