And in that day ye shall ask me nothing but it shall be done unto you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:23-24 (JST added)
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:12-13
The expected state of man is to pray.
I have felt the need to continue to this particular study in greater depth. I am impressed by promise of abundance or richness, which obviously the Lord is able to give to those who ask.
…even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily…
Mosiah 4:11
Rulers, or leaders, among God’s people are to pray over the people. In 1 Samual 12, Samuel teaches the people to follow the Lord, turn away from vain things which will not profit them and then that his responsibility towards to the people is to continue to pray for them. (see vs. 23)
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 (emphasis added)
Reading from 2 Nephi 32, Nephi says that in order to understand his words, we must ask, seek, and knock. In other words, pray after listening. The expected course of instruction is to listen and then pray. I suppose that the Lord would have me do this every day.
A set of scriptures articulates well my current approach to prayer (emphasis added):
Phillippians 4:6 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Psalms 55:22 – “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”
And these three verses make the Savior’s exhaustive instructions all the more relevant:
Matthew 6:25 – “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
What is it about these verses and their connection to prayer that resonates with me? It is that the burdens of the day and the challenges that I face can be offloaded day-in and day-out. The Lord carries the heavier part, the part that I must let go of. There is also this constant sense of returning and reporting, receiving updates, instructions, and then going to work, and then coming back for more, doing what you can with what you have, and only then moving on.
There is a new pattern developing in my mind: Take the thoughts and ideas that you encounter throughout the day, record what has impressed you, as much as possible. Then review this information with Father to sift it. The Father will add to it, and you may make further record of it.
Types of things to pray for:
- Gratitude for:
- Relationships (specific interactions)
- knowledge sources
- works performed
- New Knowledge from:
- Education
- Podcasts/Videos/Media
- Relationships
- Impressions/Prayers
- Actions to be taken
- Proposed
- What more?
- Needs:
- Proposed
- What am I not seeing, especially in relationships?
- (Special Category: Praying for others)
- (TBD – yet to be defined.)/
- (and yet most of Christ’s prayers were in behalf of others.)