“Dear Heavenly Father, Today I learned how to hop on one foot! Do you remember when You learned how to hop on one foot?”
This was the prayer of 3-year-old…me. I remember being taught to pray in my bedroom, the one with the blue bedspread, and this was reportedly one of the first prayers I ever prayed on my own. My mother recalls that my prayers were conversational. Knowing this has taught me that they never have to stop being that way.
Prayers From the Heart Can Be Offered at Anytime, Anywhere
I’ve experimented a bit with prayer throughout my life and have learned that my days go particularly well when I prioritize time to pray in the mornings. Sometimes, I like my prayers to be an ongoing dialogue with God throughout many daily activities. These are some of my favourite, simple prayers, because they give me an opportunity to connect with Him over many small things; things that are important to me.
“But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul” (2 Nephi 32:9).
We can offer simple prayers to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere. I know He hears every word we speak and loves to converse with us in any setting. Here are some examples:
Driving a busy or treacherous road? “Please, Heavenly Father, help me to get there safely.”
Nervous to give a talk in church? “Heavenly Father, help me to say what is in my heart and what I’ve prepared.”
Going through a challenge and the day feels particularly hard? “Father, please help me to endure with faith and patience. Help me to understand Thy plan.”
The possibilities of when and what we can pray for are endless. I love that my Father in Heaven can help me every minute of every day:
“I need thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.
I need thee, oh, I need thee;
Ev’ry hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!”
(“I Need Thee Every Hour,” Hymns, no. 98, italics added)
Heavenly Father Wants to be Part of Every Aspect of our Lives
It is a knowledge of our Father’s love that gives me strength to continually turn to Him. I have felt His power through so many challenges but also through so many joys.
When things are hard, the Lord can help us find our footing and perspective.
When things are joyful, He is someone with whom we can share our joy.
My Father in Heaven has become one of my best friends. He is someone I can always turn to. He is just a prayer away.
I know He smiles when we smile, and His heart breaks when ours does, too. We can learn beautiful and personal lessons of His love as we pray. Knowing that He already knows our thoughts but still listens as we speak those things in our hearts is a tender and beautiful truth to me.
The Key to Becoming One with Him Is to Do His Will
I also love the beautiful doctrine that as we humbly align our will with the Father’s, we open ourselves to receive the perfect blessings He has prepared for us.
In the Bible Dictionary, we learn that “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.” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer”)
Sometimes, our prayers are ones of gratitude. Sometimes, we can exclaim our joy, like hopping on one foot!
Yet, in the exercise of praying for blessings, we learn some of the greatest lessons of humility, faith, patience, and endurance. Continuing to pray, regardless of the answers I am receiving, has been a refining experience for me.
I think this is why the daily dialogue has helped me so much. I have had a handful of prayers answered directly, and I treasure those experiences. But more often than not, I await answers to questions and relief from challenges that seem to come daily and are persistent.
Sometimes, I wonder if He hears my pleas, but then, in quiet moments, when tender mercies come, I recognize that He has heard me all along. I begin to see a glimpse of how He is working on something beautiful on my behalf, something greater than the answer I was hoping for, and my faith is renewed.
God Knows Our Struggles, Our Joys, and Our Hearts
In all the ups and downs of life, it brings me great comfort that our Father in Heaven knows my heart and the hearts of those we pray for. He knows the beginning from the end. After all, it is His plan.
He knows the sorrows, doubts, fears and challenges of each one of His children. Yet, He also knows our potential, our joys, our hopes and dreams, our goodness and gifts. He knows our hearts and what will help us grow and become, and I know God is simply good.
“Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:38).
Just as He Knows Us, We Need to Learn to Know Him
One of the blessings I have received from frequent conversations with the Lord is to be able to recognize His voice more clearly and have it become more familiar to me. I am still learning the language of the Spirit, and I believe it will take me a lifetime, but through prayer, I am learning how beautiful and vital personal revelation is in my life. As I pray daily – and often – I am taught by His spirit the things I must know and do.
How grateful I am that He is always there, that we can pray to our Father in the name of a loving Savior, to receive the blessings of His peace and all other blessings He has in store for us. How grateful I am that a loving Heavenly Father can also be our best friend.