Prayer

"The special language of prayer follows different forms in different languages, but the principle is always the same. We should address prayers to our Heavenly Father in words which speakers of that language associate with love and respect and reverence and closeness."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks 
"The Language of Prayer"
April 1993 General Conference

I chose this quote from the talk "The Language of Prayer".  This talk means a lot to me, because I feel the importance of praying with respect to our Heavenly Father.  i love praying in the special language of prayer, and have never felt that it was strange or weird.  It has always felt natural, and I think it's because that is how Heavenly Father wants us to pray.  When we choose to pray in a more formal voice, our prayers have more meaning.  We are not wording things in a way that we would with just anyone.  When we address our Heavenly Father with love and respect it brings us closer to Him, because we form a higher level of communication.

"The first step in gaining any kind of knowledge is to really desire to know. In the case of spiritual knowledge, the next step is to ask God in sincere prayer. "


Elder Dallin H. Oaks
"The Language of Prayer" 
April 2008 General Conference

"As a young person, I had the opportunity to be in Palmyra, New York, one summer evening. I found myself in the Sacred Grove, alone. I knelt down to pray, asking Heavenly Father to provide me some manifestation or indication about what I truly already knew had occurred in that sacred place. I prayed with great sincerity, for a long time, in an attitude of reverence. And I did not receive any answer or any prompting from theHoly Ghost. Nothing came. Finally, I gave up and left disappointed, wondering, “What didn’t I do right? Why? What more was needed?” It seemed to me that with the surroundings, there could not be any better place to receive an answer to such a prayer.

I learned from that experience that we cannot demand things from God. We cannot say, “You have to answer me in this way, right this moment.” It is up to Him to decide how and when and what He will communicate to us. Our responsibility is to always be in the right condition to receive the promptings or whisperings, the revelation, the inspiration of the Spirit. But He makes the decision of how and when."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
"Strong Impressions of the Spirit"
June 2013 New Era/ From an address given to youth in Salta, Argentina in November 2011

“Our Heavenly Father has placed an upward reach in every one of us. The words of scripture speak loud and clear: ‘Look to God and live’ (Alma 37:47). No problem is too small for His attention nor so large that He cannot answer the prayer of faith. Prayer surely is the passport to spiritual power. You can pray with purpose when you realize who you are and what Heavenly Father wants you to become. You will not find it difficult to approach Him with your sincere prayer as you remember the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?’ (1 Cor. 3:16).” 

President Thomas S. Monson
"Your Celestial Journey"
 Ensign, May 1999


"Men and women of integrity, character, and purpose have ever recognized a power higher than themselves and have sought through prayer to be guided by such power. Such has it ever been. So shall it ever be."

President Thomas S. Monson
"The Prayer of Faith"
August 1995 Ensign


"Prayer is a supernal gift of our Father in Heaven to every soul."

Elder Richard G. Scott
"Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer"
April 2007 General Conference


"We pray to our Heavenly Father in the sacred name of His Beloved Son,Jesus Christ. Prayer is most effective when we strive to be clean and obedient, with worthy motives, and are willing to do what He asks. Humble, trusting prayer brings direction and peace."

Elder Richard G. Scott
"Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer"
April 2007 General Conference


"Everything we do ought to be done with an eye toward our Heavenly Father’s blessing and consecrating to our good all of our activities in a given day. So if we sense our need and think about it, prayer becomes more meaningful."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
"How Can I Make Daily Prayer More Meaningful?"
October 2010 New Era


"Prayer is one of the things that will give us the strength and the power to be examples of the believers. The influence of the Lord, the meaningfulness of our prayers, His guidance in our life day to day, the strength that comes with all of that really does make it possible for us to consistently be examples of the believers in everything we do."

Elder D.Todd Christofferson
"How Can I Make Daily Prayer More Meaningful?"
October 2010 New Era


"It is a mistake to assume that every prayer we offer will be answered immediately. Some prayers require considerable effort on our part. True, sometimes impressions come when we have not specifically sought them. They generally concern something we need to know and are not otherwise able to find out."

Elder Richard G. Scott
"Recognizing Answers to Prayers"
August 2003 New Era


"Just as prayer is a simple choice, there is a simple choice you can make to bring the powers of heaven to you that you might live clean in a wicked world."

Elder Henry B. Eyring
"Waiting Upon the Lord"
September 30, 1990 BYU Fireside