Letters from Home

Meaningful prayer takes effort. My brain gets distracted, I get interrupted, and my lazy side recognizes that prayer is work. I try to improve, year after year. So, here is another post about prayer because I think about it a lot. Today, this post highlights the teachings of many people who have helped me to grow in my understanding and practice of prayer.

For instance, I like the tradition in our church to pray from the heart and begin with gratitude. I write down God’s tender mercies in a gratitude journal before I pray to remember who I am dealing with.

I like that my evangelical Christian friends and the patrons of the temple write down the names of people for whom they pray.

From the Lord’s prayer, I learn to praise and reverence Heavenly Father.

From David in the Psalms, I learn to lament and really pour out my soul.

I believe that when Christ said, “Thy will be done” it wasn’t just a statement of resignation, but an affirmation. When I express that I know that Heavenly Father’s perfect will is being done, this is a great way to reframe my experiences.

I learned from a Christian author Paul Miller to write down specific hopes for my children and to pray boldly for these things. I also learned from him to collect scriptures to remind me of God’s power and promises.

From C.S. Lewis, “I am often, I believe, praying for others when I should be doing things for them.”

I learned from President Nelson to pray with a pencil and paper ready, to write down thoughts and impressions, and then act on them.

I learned from Sister Becky Craven that those scattered, seemingly random thoughts that sometimes come during prayer are worth noting because the Spirit is communicating with us.

From Elder Richard G. Scott, “Knowledge carefully recorded is knowledge available in time of need. Spiritually sensitive information should be kept in a sacred place that communicates to the Lord how you treasure it. This practice enhances the likelihood of receiving further light.”

With these teachings in mind, I keep a prayer journal. It’s a tool that helps me focus, remember, and act. Currently, the format looks like this:

I keep my petitions on the left and answers and action items on the right. It’s also where I record inspiring words from scripture about God and prayer.

There are needs and dilemmas that carry over week after week, year after year. This prayer journal is evidence that I maintain hope for answers. This journal is also evidence that Heavenly Father is an involved, tender, steadfast, loving Parent.

I only use this prayer journal for one of my prayers each day. Other prayers I offer are more spontaneous and unstructured and often silent. All kinds of prayers are helpful for me.