Prayer

LDS Quotes on Prayer

The constant exercise of our faith by lofty thinking, prayer, devotion, and acts of righteousness is just as essential to spiritual health as physical exercise is to the health of the body. Like all priceless things, faith, if lost, is hard to regain. Eternal vigilance is the price of our faith. In order to retain our faith we must keep ourselves in tune with our Heavenly Father by living in accordance with the principles and ordinances of the gospel.

O. Leslie Stone  |  “The Constant Exercise of Our Faith,” July 1973, Ensign, p. 59

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“Too often we pray to have patience, but we want it right now!”

Elder Robert D. Hales  |  Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will Be Done, October 2011 General Conference

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“The strait and narrow path, though clearly marked, is a path, not a freeway nor an escalator. Indeed, there are times when the only way the strait and narrow path can be followed is on one’s knees!”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “A Brother Offended,” Ensign, May 1982, p. 37

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For me, the old saying “The family that prays together stays together” could be expanded to “The family that prays together is together, even when they are far apart.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring  |  A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Petitioning in prayer has taught me, again and again, that the vault of heaven with all its blessings is to be opened only by a combination lock. One tumbler falls when there is faith, a second when there is personal righteousness; the third and final tumbler falls only when what is sought is, in God’s judgment – not ours – right for us. Sometimes we pound on the vault door for something we want very much and wonder why the door does not open. We would be very spoiled children if that vault door opened any more easily than it does. I can tell, looking back, that God truly loves me by inventorying the petitions He has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us much about ourselves but also much about our flawless Father. By inventorying our insights, from time to time, it will surprise us what the Lord has done in teaching us. What we have learned in the past can help us to persist in the present. By tallying the truths and keeping such before us, we can also avoid lapsed literacy in spiritual things. If we will let Him, the Holy Ghost will bring all the important insights to our remembrance.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “Insights,” New Era, April 1978, p. 6

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Thomas S. Monson

“Please do not pray – I plead with you – for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.”

Thomas S. Monson  |  BYU Commencement, April 25, 1991; Church News, May 4, 1991

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“Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text.”

Ian S. Ardern  |  "A Time to Prepare"

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“We are to solve our own problems and then to counsel with the Lord in prayer and receive a spiritual confirmation that our decisions are correct.”

Bruce R. McConkie  |  “Why the Lord Ordained Prayer,” Ensign, Jan. 1976, 11.

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Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the LDS church

“Pray earnestly and fast with purpose and devotion. Some difficulties, like devils, do not come out save by fasting and by prayer. Ask in righteousness and you shall receive. Knock with conviction and it shall be opened unto you.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

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“God has created us to love and to be loved, and this is the beginning of prayer — to know that he loves me, that I have been created for greater things.”

Mother Teresa

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Spencer W. Kimball Portrait

“But is prayer only one-way communication? No! . . . At the end of our prayers, we need to do some intense listening – even for several minutes. We have prayed for counsel and help. Now we must “be still and know that [He is] God” (Ps. 46:10).”

Spencer W. Kimball  |  Ensign, October 1981, p. 5

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Thomas S. Monson

“Prayer is the passport to spiritual power.”

Thomas S. Monson  |  Ensign, November 1990, p. 47

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“Living the gospel does not mean the storms of life will pass us by, but we will be better prepared to face them with serenity and peace. ‘Search diligently, pray always, and be believing,’ the Lord admonished, ‘and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly.'”

Joseph B. Wirthlin  |  "Finding a Safe Harbor," Ensign, May 2000, 59

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“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” asked Paul. We should ask that daily. The persistent asking of that question will change your life.”

Ezra Taft Benson  |  Ensign, April 1984

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Richard G. Scott Portrait

“A key to improved prayer is to learn to ask the right questions. Consider changing from asking for things you want to honestly seeking what He wants for you. Then as you learn His will, pray that you will be led to have the strength to fulfill it.”

Richard G. Scott

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Prayer of a husband and wife: “Keep us o’ Lord from pettiness. Let us be thoughtful in word and deed. Help us to put away pretense and face each other in deep trust without fear or self-pity. Help us to guard against fault-finding, and be quick to discover the best in each other and in every situation. Guard us from ill-temper and hasty judgement; encourage us to take time for all things, grow calm, serene and gentle. Help us to be generous with kind words and compliments. Teach us never to ignore, never to hurt, never to take each other for granted. Engrave charity and compassion on our hearts.”

Anonymous

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“Our deeds, in large measure, are children of our prayers. Having prayed, we act; our proper petitions have the effect of charting a righteous course of conduct for us.”

Bruce R. McConkie  |  “Why the Lord Ordained Prayer,” Ensign, January 1976, 12.

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“The Prophet Joseph said at one time that one of the greatest sins of which the Latter-day Saints would be guilty is the sin of ingratitude. I presume most of us have not thought of that as a great sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much.”

Ezra Taft Benson  |  “Remembrance and Gratitude,” Ensign, November 1989, pp. 12-13

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“Fasting and prayer have been used by those seeking inspiration in calling men to Church positions, for relieving the suffering of those in bondage, for asking guidance in war, and in conjunction with mourning. People fasted to receive deliverance from their enemies, to heal the sick, to receive revelation, for the success of missionary work, and for the souls of those who do not have the gospel.”

Sheryl Condie Kempton

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Richard G. Scott Portrait

“His invitation, “Ask, and ye shall receive” (3 Ne. 27:29) does not assure that you will get what you want. It does guarantee that, if worthy, you will get what you need, as judged by a Father that loves you perfectly, who wants your eternal happiness even more than do you.”

Richard G. Scott  |  Trust in the Lord, Ensign, November 1995

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“The caring for the poor and the handicapped and those who need our help is a main purpose and an absolute requirement in fulfilling the royal law of loving our neighbors as ourselves. You will remember the great sermon of Amulek on prayer, in which he tells the people to pray and tells them how often to pray – morning, night, and noon – and tells them where to pray and how to pray and what to pray for. He goes into great detail and then he says that “after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need – I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.”

Marion G. Romney  |  Conference Report, April 1978

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Richard G. Scott Portrait

“Prayer is a supernal gift of our Father in Heaven to every soul. Think of it: the absolute Supreme Being, the most all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful personage, encourages you and me, as insignificant as we are, to converse with Him as our Father. . . .It matters not our circumstance, be we humble or arrogant, poor or rich, free or enslaved, learned or ignorant, loved or forsaken, we can address Him. We need no appointment. Our supplication can be brief or can occupy all the time needed. It can be an extended expression of love and gratitude or an urgent plea for help. He has created numberless cosmos and populated them with worlds, yet you and I can talk with Him personally, and He will ever answer.”

Richard G. Scott  |  “Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2007, p. 8

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“If prayer is only a spasmodic cry at the time of crisis, then it is utterly selfish, and we come to think of God as a repairman or a service agency to help us only in our emergencies. We should remember the Most High day and night – always – not only at times when all other assistance has failed and we desperately need help. If there is any element in human life on which we have a record of miraculous success and inestimable worth to the human soul, it is prayerful, reverential, devout communication with our Heavenly Father.”

Howard W. Hunter  |  “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” Ensign, November 1977, p. 52

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Joseph Smith Portrait

The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching.

Joseph Smith

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Brothers and sisters, sometimes our prayers are answered quickly with the outcome we hope for. Sometimes our prayers are not answered in the way we hope for, yet with time we learn that God had greater blessings prepared for us than we initially anticipated. And sometimes our righteous petitions to God will not be granted in this life. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “Faith also includes trust in God’s timing.”

Brook P. Hales  |  Answers to Prayer

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“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

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“The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests.”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  "Pray Always"

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The Savior taught the Nephites that they must always pray to the Father in his name, adding: “And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you” (3 Ne. 18:20).

Here the Savior reminds us that faith, no matter how strong it is, cannot produce a result contrary to the will of him whose power it is. The exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is always subject to the order of heaven, to the goodness and will and wisdom and timing of the Lord. That is why we cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing. When we have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord, we have true security in our lives. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “Security is not born of inexhaustible wealth but of unquenchable faith” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 1982, pp. 72–73).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks  |  “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1994, p. 98

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Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the LDS church

“God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

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“Some people pray only when confronted with personal problems. Others don’t pray at all. A scripture makes this observation: “Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them.”

Russell M. Nelson  |  Ensign, May 2003, p. 7

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“Whoever in absolute desire to know the truth places himself in harmony with divine forces and approaches God in humble prayer, with full surrender of inherited or acquired prejudices, will learn to his complete satisfaction that there is a God in Heaven, whose loving will is operative on earth.”

John A. Widtsoe  |  “The Articles of Faith,” Improvement Era, May 1935, p. 288

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Richard G. Scott Portrait

“Healing best begins with your sincere prayer asking your Father in Heaven for help. That use of your agency allows divine intervention. When you permit it, the love of the Savior will soften your heart and break the cycle of abuse that can transform a victim into an aggressor. Adversity, even when caused willfully by others’ unrestrained appetite, can be a source of growth when viewed from the perspective of eternal principle (see D&C 122:7).”

Richard G. Scott  |  “Healing Tragic Scars of Abuse,” Ensign, May 1992, p. 32

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“Sincere praying implies that when we ask for any blessing or virtue, we should work for the blessing and cultivate the virtue.”

David O. McKay  |  Secrets of a Happy Life, 114–15.

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Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work.

Gordon B. Hinckley

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“The pattern of our lives determines our eligibility to receive the promptings of the Spirit and to hear the answers to our prayers. Again, let there be no misunderstanding. Heavenly Father does answer our prayers, but often we aren’t prepared to hear him. Some are answered immediately, but some do take longer, and that’s where we may become discouraged.”

H. Burke Peterson  |  “Prayer – Try Again,” Ensign, June 1981, p. 72

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“If life gets too hard to stand, kneel.”

Gordon B. Hinckley

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“Put difficult questions in the back of your minds and go about your lives. Ponder and pray quietly and persistently about them. The answer may not come as a lightning bolt. It may come as a little inspiration here and a little there, “line upon line, precept upon precept” (D&C 98:12). Some answers will come from reading the scriptures, some from hearing speakers. And, occasionally, when it is important, some will come by very direct and powerful inspiration. The promptings will be clear and unmistakable.”

Boyd K. Packer  |  “Prayers and Answers,” Ensign, November 1979, p. 21

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“The most important thing you can do is to learn to talk to God. Talk to Him as you would talk to your father, for He is your Father, and He wants you to talk to Him. He wants you to cultivate ears to listen, when He gives you the impressions of the Spirit to tell you what to do.”

Harold B. Lee  |  “Pres. Lee Gives Solemn Witness,” Church News, 3 Mar. 1973, 3.

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“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’”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  “Pray Always,” Ensign, November 2008, 42.

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“True worship goes on seven days a week. Sacraments and vows and covenants of renewal ascend to heaven daily in personal prayer.”

Bruce R. McConkie  |  A New Witness for the Articles of Faith

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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Richard G. Scott Portrait

“We talk to God through prayer. He most often communicates back to us through his written word.”

Richard G. Scott

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Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the LDS church

Your Father in heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland  |  Created for Greater Things

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“I recognize that, on occasion, some of our most fervent prayers may seem to go unanswered. We wonder, ‘Why?’ I know that feeling! I know the fears and tears of such moments. But I also know that our prayers are never ignored. Our faith is never unappreciated. I know that an all-wise Heavenly Father’s perspective is much broader than is ours. While we know of our mortal problems and pain, He knows of our immortal progress and potential. If we pray to know His will and submit ourselves to it with patience and courage, heavenly healing can take place in His own way and time.”

Russell M. Nelson  |  Jesus Christ—the Master Healer, Ensign, Nov. 2005, 86

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“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”

Abraham Lincoln

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“The object of our prayers should not be to present a wish list or a series of requests but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is eager to bestow, according to His will and timing. Every sincere prayer is heard and answered by our Heavenly Father, but the answers we receive may not be what we expect or come to us when we want or in the way we anticipate.”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  “Ask in Faith,” Ensign, May 2008, p. 97

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Spencer W. Kimball Portrait

“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom.”

Spencer W. Kimball  |  “Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, December 1974, 5.

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Thomas S. Monson

“My brothers and sisters, do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.”

Thomas S. Monson  |  The Divine Gift of Gratitude”

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Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Isn’t it marvelous, brothers and sisters, that God, who knows everything, still spends time listening to our prayers? Compared to that cosmic fact, what does the world really have to offer us? One round of applause, one fleeting moment of adulation, or an approving glance from a phantom Caesar? May God bless us to see things as they really are and as they really will be (see Jacob 4:13; D&C 93:24), and may we give the glory and honor and praise unto God.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  General Conference, April 2000

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Spencer W. Kimball Portrait

“Sometimes ideas flood our mind as we listen after our prayers. Sometimes feelings press upon us. A spirit of calmness assures us that all will be well. But always, if we have been honest and earnest [in our prayers] we will experience a good feeling – a feeling of warmth for our Father in Heaven and a sense of his love for us.”

Spencer W. Kimball  |  Ensign, October,1981, p. 5

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