Pray/er

The worthy speech that ascends to Heaven that is uttered by the faithful.¹ There is no magic formula for communicating with God; no list of what is to be said or repeated; no vain — meaning ineffective — repetitions. He “gets it” even before man speaks. The act of prayer is a formal way of showing God the following: respect, by doing what He has asked; devotion, by showing submission to Him; obedience, by keeping the commandment to pray always (2 Nephi 14:3); and companionship, by taking the time to be alone with Him. “You take thought about what you care for, but they are not what the Lord knows you need. Your cares are merely the tiniest of obstacles given you to remind you to pray. The Father operates on a much grander scale, dealing with the salvation of souls. He will use the man or woman of prayer as the means of accomplishing a great deal more than they imagined. Pray. Ask simply. It is not necessary to be elaborate or long-winded. State clearly what you believe you need. Accept what then comes in His answer. Trust He knows more than you. Trust He can give you what you need, even if you hadn’t even thought about it as a need.”² “Talk like you are addressing your most intimate friend and have nothing to hide. Tell Him about your regrets, hopes, frustrations, concerns, fears, and confusion. Before long you will discover that whatever you care about, God also cares about. He can give perspective that changes everything. Prayer should not recognize the distance between us and God but should become the way we close that distance.”³See also VOICE OF GOD.