How Can I Make My Prayers More Meaningful?

How is it that we communicate with our Father in Heaven? (Please attempt to resist rolling your eyes are my elementary question!) Right, through prayer.  We've known this since primary.  How many lessons have we had on prayer?  How many songs have we sung in primary, and as adults, focusing on prayer?  TONS.  Who can name a few songs about prayer?  (Let's look in hymn book)

How about:
Did You Think To Pray?
Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire
Sweet Hour of Prayer
(We'll read them out loud)

What do we learn from these hymns?

When we were taught about prayer in primary, we learned the most basic form of prayer ("Prayer is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try"-hymn #145).

1. Address our Father in Heaven i.e. "Our dear Heavenly Father"
2. Tell Him what you are grateful for
3. Ask Him for whatever you stand in need of
3. Close in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ (D&C 46:30-31)

But...does a prayer HAVE to look like this?
Absolutely not.
(Gratitude)
Elder Bednar suggests "As we strive to make our prayers more meaningful, we should remember that “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21). Let me recommend that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts."  (If there's time we'll read the story from this talk, "Pray Always" where he talks about learning this lesson.  Can also read Mosiah 26:39)

Giving thanks to our Father in Heaven helps us recognize the love He has for us; our blessings become very apparent and hard to deny.  I've talked about this in the context of my miscarriage before but I'll do it again... The prayer in my heart at the time, surprisingly, was full of gratitude (This is not to say I walked out of the doctor's office happy or that I was never angry, sad, confused or depressed.  This is simply to say that it did come and it came quicker than I expected.  The moment I allowed myself to venture so far as looking for something positive happening, the Lord flooded my mind.--No still birth.  Those I needed most were on break from work/school.  Super supportive neighbors/friends. Instant outpouring of love, even from people I hadn't heard from in years. Ability to truly have empathy. Didn't have time to stew/preoccupation with moving and buying a house.  The list goes on.). There was, and is, plenty to be upset, angry and confused about.  Somehow, miraculously, the Lord allowed me to see all the tender mercies he offered on my behalf.  By focusing on those small miracles, the experience became easier to bear.  I knew that I had to experience that personal tragedy, but that the Lord made it as weightless as He could.  I knew He loved me, without a doubt.  Had I chosen to be ungrateful and angry, I think I'd still be resentful to this day...17 months later.  I absolutely believe that allowing myself to see the good, and acknowledging that it came at the hand of my Father in Heaven was truly a blessing that helped me more than anything else.  I received clarity I never otherwise would have experienced.
"...expressing gratitude more often in our prayers enlarges the conduit for revelation..." (Bednar, Pray Always)
(Pray for others with real intent)
In the primary outline of prayer we learn that after we acknowledge some blessings we should petition the Lord for the blessings we desire.  This is "good and proper" but an important element of prayer is to ALSO (and sometimes INSTEAD OF) pray earnestly for others, "with all of the energy of our souls".  I should note that "praying for others" means "both those whome we love and those who despitefully use us".  Doing this "increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord."
Examples:
Lehi praying in behalf of his people and receiving a "glorious" vision in response (1 NE 1:5, 6-9, 13, 15, 18)
The Savior praying for His Apostles and all of the Saints the night before he was to be crucified (John 17:9, 20, 26)
The Savior healing the sick and praying for the people on the American continent using language that could not be written (3 NE 17:1-16) and the impact was profound (3 NE 17:17).  Imagine being present for such a prayer!

(Counsel with the Lord in all our doings)
So we can make our prayers more meaningful by offering more gratitude as well as by sincerely praying for others.  Additionally, we can make our prayers even more meaningful as we understand our relationship to Him.  When we understand that we are indeed daughters of our God, our prayers "become natural and instinctive."  Rather than simply verbalizing our thoughts to the clouds above our heads, we are having a real conversation with our father.  It's as tangible as if we were talking to our dads while they drive us around in the car or make us dinner.  
As I think about the conversations I have with my earthly father, I think about dinner conversations.  I think about the brief interactions we have as we come and go from the house, the times he teaches me a skill, when we work together on a project, and when we end up having the long, late night conversations.  What we say is most often not revelatory or particularly exciting.  But it's usually fun, in good humor, or important to one or both of us.  Sometimes it's serious.  Sometimes it's hard.  Sometimes it's hilarious.  Just as you'd expect, our interactions vary.
This is how I envision the Lord's desire for us to counsel with him in all things.  As we get ready in the morning, on our way out the door, we tell our dad-this time our Heavenly one-where we're going, what we're doing, and what we hope to accomplish while we're gone.  Sometimes, this is a brief conversation, other's it's loftier.  Then, we chat with him silently while we're driving or walking to class, just updating him on our goals and letting him know of our whereabouts.  We talk to him before/while we eat.  We talk to him when we get home and have a longer conversation before we go to bed.  This time, we talk to him about the day as a whole.  We report on our progress and if we accomplished what we set out to do.  And, if we messed up, we tell Him and ask him to help us be better, forgiving us along the way...like parents do!

"...meaningful morning prayer is an important element in the spiritual creation of each day—and precedes the temporal creation or the actual execution of the day...morning and evening prayers are linked to and are a continuation of each other...Such a prayer is a key part of the spiritual preparation for our day. During the course of the day, we keep a prayer in our heart for continued assistance and guidance—even as Alma suggested: “Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord” (Alma 37:36)...At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer.

Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years. This is in part how we fulfill the scriptural admonition to “pray always” (Luke 21:36; 3 Nephi 18:15, 18; D&C 31:12). Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children.

Prayer becomes meaningful as we remember our relationship to Deity and heed the admonition to:

“Cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

“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; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:36–37; emphasis added)." (Bednar, Pray Always)

There's one more super significant part of prayer that we haven't talked about yet.  Who can guess which part that is?  Well, I guess it's two part.  First...that when we ask for things, we do so with great FAITH.  Second, we ACT.  That's right, after we say our prayer we must go and DO.

Meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work.

"Simply saying prayers is quite a different thing from engaging in meaningful prayer. I expect that all of us already know that prayer is essential for our spiritual development and protection. But what we know is not always reflected in what we do. And even though we recognize the importance of prayer, all of us can improve the consistency and efficacy of our personal and family prayers."

"True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to righteous action. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “faith [is] the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness” and that it is also “the principle of action in all intelligent beings” (Lectures on Faith [1985], 1). Action alone is not faith in the Savior, but acting in accordance with correct principles is a central component of faith. Thus, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20)."

"Prayer is a privilege and the soul’s sincere desire. We can move beyond routine and “checklist” prayers and engage in meaningful prayer as we appropriately ask in faith and act, as we patiently persevere through the trial of our faith, and as we humbly acknowledge and accept “not my will, but Thine, be done.”

(Bednar, Ask in Faith)

Sometimes, DOING means following promptings that come quickly, or continued prayer, fasting, and temple attendance.  Sometimes it means continuing on and enduring a trial while you await inspiration.  Sometimes the work entails aligning your will with God's.  The truth of the matter is, He knows what we need.  All we need to do is be willing to work in whatever way he asks us to in order to achieve that vision.

Bottom line: God loves us.  He wants desperately for us to call home and ask for His help.  As we make the call, we WILL HEAR HIS VOICE.  He WILL help us, love us, forgive us, inspire us, and encourage us.  As we hone the skill of prayer, this interaction will simply get better and we will be blessed even more.

So pick up the phone...I mean, fold your arms, bow your head, and start telling your Father what's happenin'. 

Possibly Activities (time sensitive)

• Divide chapters 17, 18, or 19 of 3 Nephi among the young women. Ask the young women to read their sections and share what they learn about prayer from Jesus Christ’s example and teachings and from the examples of His disciples. What can they do to follow these examples in their own prayers?
• Assign each young woman to study one of the principles of prayer discussed in True to the Faith, pages 119–21, or in the entry about prayer in the Bible Dictionary. Ask the young women to teach the class what they learn. Encourage them to share personal examples when they teach.

Prayer becomes more meaningful as we…
#1. Counsel with the Lord in all our doings (see Alma 37:36-37).

#2. Express heartfelt gratitude.

#3. Pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.

The concept of prayer is not a complicated one. Most of us even know that we're "supposed to pray in the morning, at night, and on our meals, as well as always having a "prayer in our hearts."  Who can tell me what that means?  What does it mean to always have a prayer in your heart?



We must seek God' will when we pray
Prayer should be accompanied by faithful effort
Pray with faith, a sincere heart, and real intent