I was led to this talk from a footnote in Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives.
Through prayer, we can show our love for God. And He has made it so easy. We may pray to Him any time. No special equipment is needed. We don’t even need to charge batteries or pay a monthly service fee.
The only barrier to prayer is our willingness and desire to undertake it.
Prayers can be offered even in silence. One can think a prayer, especially when words would interfere. We often kneel to pray; we may stand or be seated. Physical position is less important than is spiritual submission to God.
This morning I started a new, more comprehensive, approach to prayer this morning. Because it includes a commitment to recording thoughts and impressions during the prayer (as recommended in Revelation talk I referenced at the beginning) I know it would not be accomplished in my knees. I opened my prayer by acknowledging that I would not stay on my knees for the whole prayer but promising that I would always start those prayers while kneeling. This confirms my openness to doing what works to make my prayers more effective.
{Stake Patriarch who has a heart condition that could not be addressed by any surgery known at the time.}
Finally, in desperation, he spoke to me with considerable emotion: “Dr. Nelson, I have prayed for help and have been directed to you. The Lord will not reveal to me how to repair that second valve, but He can reveal it to you. Your mind is so prepared. If you will operate upon me, the Lord will make it known to you what to do. Please perform the operation that I need, and pray for the help that you need.
{The surgical solution was revealed to Dr. Nelson during the surgery and could subsequently be used for other patients in similar condition.}
SUCH FAITH!!
I have felt impressed to conclude this message on prayer with a prayer—presented as a hymn. The Lord has said that “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.” The music comes from our book of Hymns, for which I have written new words.
{President Nelson then had the choir sing the song he wrote: Our Prayer to Thee}
I recently heard that song and I sincerely hope it gets included in the new hymnbook that is coming in the next couple of years.
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