Alma 37:37 reads: "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning, let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day (and right now!)"
Reading this verse made me realize that we as humans (definitely speaking from personal experience here) tend to be...kindy flakey. We set goals, we make plans and we are determined to change- for about all of 3 weeks, then return to our former selves. Call it laziness, low expectations, or the natural man- but it is human nature to fall short of our goals. Not saying it's impossible though. Anyhow, relating this concept back to the reading, I feel there are some months, some weeks, and some days that I am great at communicating with God through prayer. I talk with him in the morning, throughout the day, when I'm sad, excited, angry, grateful- you name it and I'm letting him know ALL the things. But somehow, I find myself at a point now and again (more often than I'd like to admit) when I catch myself thinking, "when was the last time I prayed?" or even, "when was the last time I genuinely prayed?" Not just a list of demands. Not just a quick I-have-to-say-something-before-I-hop-into-bed-prayer, but a real authentic conversation with him, where I speak from my heart AND I listen in return.
Sometimes it takes those times where we feel lazy, unworthy, or whatever other reason, like we feel we are not being understood or heard or listened to when we pray- to make us fully understand what an incredible gift it is to be able to communicate with our Father in Heaven.
So how can we improve our prayers? No matter where we are, I feel these simple things can help, whether we are first starting up again, or whether we've been consistently praying.
- Consistency
- Even if it starts out just once a day, that's better than nothing
- Any other relationship takes work, effort, time=same as our relationship with God
- Gratitude
- Recognizing what you have/God's hand in your life will strengthen your relationship with Him, as well as with others around you
- Helps you live a more joyful, peace filled life regardless of circumstances
- Praying on your own
- Personal prayer is where it all begins
- Praying with others
- Family prayer, praying with friends, etc.
- Be willing to ACT in faith
- Align desires/goal of prayers with daily action
- If you don't give God anything to work with, usually nothing really happens
- Write down your prayers and impressions you get when praying
- Be willing to share experiences when properly prompted
Then I broke down verse 36:
"Cry unto the Lord for all thy support..."
*Effort, being genuine, honesty, vulnerability
"Let all thy doings be unto the Lord..."
*Include Him in your plans, goals, etc.
"Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord..."
*Clear mind, uplifting thoughts, power to overcome trials/mental illnesses/other internal battles
"Let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever..."
*Heart/desires in the right place, when He is first, all else follows
Verse 40 talks about the power of faith enabling the Liahona to guide Nephi's family in the wilderness. It was such a simple device that worked for them day by day- but as they gave it attention and followed its course daily, overall, their journey to the promised land was complete. Why? Because they were consistent! So consistent, small efforts more often than not have a deeper, much more long lasting impact that spurts of effort.
Just remember- whatever is holding you back from better prayer- or praying at all- you are always worthy, you are always loved, and God always wants to hear from you, no matter what. Start where you are.
I hope you were able to gain something from this study- I know I did!
Much love,
Emily
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