I think prayer is a misunderstood and undervalued. It is something that while it can be amazing and powerful upon first use, it can take a lifetime to develop. I do not suppose to be an authority in any aspect of the gospel (with the exception of sinning, I can do that rather well), I do wish to share what I have learned through my own study and experiences of myself and others.
For me prayer is hard sometimes because it requires me to stop the world spinning and get off of it for a few minutes. I just get going and planning on what needs to happen, how to meet my needs and the needs of my family and I just don't think to pray. Other times when I do pray I struggle with focusing on talking with God and not drifting off to coordinating my day, remembering what I need to pick up at the store,... But then there are the times that prayer is what I wish it could be every time I pray - peaceful, soul wrenching, awe inspiring, and full of answers and sometimes bringing questions as well. Before we can really get into this aspect of what results from prayer, we really need to figure out what prayer is and how to use it.
In my bible dictionary under prayer it reads, "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work..."
I still remember the first time I read this definition. I thought it was all wrong. How could prayer be a form of work? Pray is religious, spiritual - work is sweaty, undesirable, income earning... So then as I reflected on it, there were a few thoughts that came to my mind. Prayer, like work, can improve with practice. No I do not "practice" praying like one might practice a piano (playing the same piece over and over again), but rather like one practices cooking or driving - by doing it. And just like other activities that you practice by doing, prayer gets easier with consistent, educated prayer. Consistent I am sure most can understand, after all God is a being (and I believe this is the very minimum of His description) and He would be best communicated with on a regular basis. I feel that we should be communicating with God several times a day formally, and all day unformally (often called having a prayer in our hearts). But how does being educated affect your prayers? In the scriptures Jesus Christ commands us to learn of him and to read his word. When you do this specifically looking for insights about prayer, it is amazing the things that you learn that affect how you pray and your understanding of how you get answers. That is right, I believe and have received answers to my prayers. I believe everyone can do this, but first let's look at some of those insights about prayer.
Prayer is a commandment (Luke 21:36 ...pray always...). Like all commandments, we are blessed for our obedience.
We are to pray in the name, mind, and will of Christ. I understand this to be that He will most likely not answer my prayers to win the lottery or to cover my sins for me. When we seek guidance and direction from the Lord, we have the most success when our actions reflect what we have learned of Him.
Prayer works best when we understand our relationship with God. I understand that He is our Father (Acts 17:29). I repeat, I literally believe that He is my Father in Heaven who is the Father of my spirit. I believe that I am His child and that we have a personal relationship with each other. When I pray and remember this relationship, it becomes easier for me to focus on Him and to discuss with Him what is happening in my life.
What is happening in my life? Didn't I already say that He knows all these things? Then why should I talk with Him about these things? It helps me. That is the point that I think most people don't get, when I pray sincerely - it helps me. It helps me to figure out where my weakness' are, it helps me to figure out how to work with my children, it helps me to feel peace (eventually, sometimes I takes me a bit of repentance first - this is a concept of the gospel that I am getting much practice with - see earlier note about sinning). It also helps me get input from God. It helps me to feel after Him (Acts 17:27). Now when I say it "helps me figure things out" I don't suppose that I am directing myself. Rather I have felt his guidance and influence in my recognizing my weaknesses and what I need to change.
To me prayer is amazing, wonderful, and humbling. I am thankful having been taught to pray and having learned (through study of His word and experience) how to benefit from it in my life. It is in prayer when I have felt most His love surrounding and guiding me.
