Prayer - Part 2

3 Nephi 19:6
And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus.

Kneeling signifies a certain humility when approaching the Father in prayer. I know I always feel more in tune on my knees.

1 Timothy 4:15
Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

My world is busy and noisy that I rarely have time to meditate, to ponder upon the things of a spiritual nature. Often, when I am in my car alone, I now turn off the radio and simply talk to Heavenly Father or think of His command, "Be still and know that I am God."

Matthew 6:6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Alma 34:26
But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

We have a chair in our closet that Lance sits on to put his shoes on or take them off. It has since become my favorite place to pray when I am in need of a good heart-to-heart with Heavenly Father. I kneel in front of the chair and rest my elbows on it as I clasp my hands together in prayer. It is the quietest, most withdrawn place in our house and I find great comfort in praying there. The "wilderness" in the second scripture evokes an emotional response from me. The wildernesses in my life are the desolate, hard times when I am struggling. It is at those times that it becomes most crucial for me to lean upon the Lord and to 'pour out my soul' to Him. Ironically, it is always in the midst of my trials that I feel closest to my Father in Heaven.

Alma 34:21
Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.

To me, an enemy is anything, or anyone, that would draw me away from Heavenly Father. Besides actual people and Satan himself, my "enemies" come in many different forms, whether it be temptations of pride, contention, laziness, hardship, illness, or financial struggles.

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.

It is okay to pray wherever I am. I do not have to be kneeling beside my bed or in my closet in order to offer up a sincere, heartfelt prayer. I often pray in my car or give quick prayers of gratitude in many different places.

Alma 37:37
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.

I love this counsel and promise. I often think of this scripture when I have collapsed into my bed, completely exhausted at the end of a long day. It gives me the last little bit of strength to pull myself up onto my knees and pray. Each morning, I literally roll out of my bed and down onto my knees at my bedside. I thank Heavenly Father for the night's rest and plead with the Lord to help me accomplish all of the things that day that He would have me to do. Most importantly, I beg the Lord to help me be a good mother.