“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.”
| Ensign, April 1984
Prayer
LDS Quotes on Prayer
“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.”
| “Insights,” New Era, April 1978, p. 6
“Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text.”
| "A Time to Prepare"
“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.”
| “Why the Lord Ordained Prayer,” Ensign, Jan. 1976, 11.
“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.”
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.”
“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.”
| “Why the Lord Ordained Prayer,” Ensign, January 1976, 12.
“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.'”
| "Finding a Safe Harbor," Ensign, May 2000, 59
“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.”
| “Remembrance and Gratitude,” Ensign, November 1989, pp. 12-13
“The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests.”
| "Pray Always"