During a church meeting recently, the teacher asked one of our class members to describe for the class how he had learned to pray. He said that his mother had taught him when he was very young. He went on to say that she explained to him that prayer was a two-way conversation between him and his Heavenly Father. Listening for an answer is just as important as expressing concerns and needs, etc. Sometimes we do not get an immediate reply, but it comes as a ‘call back,’ coming later. I thought how true that was and how often I have left my knees without an answer but sometime later, having a stream of inspiration or enlightenment come to me, my prayer was answered.
The instructor then said that he would like to hear from a convert who had not been raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but who had joined later, as an adult. He turned to me, having known me to be such a one, and asked me how I had learned to pray? I had been listening to the other person explain how his mother had taught him to pray and was caught off guard, so to speak. I could not remember ever being taught to pray. I had no tender story to tell about a loving parent who tutored me (though I had loving parents). As I quickly ran prayer through my mind I realized that though I had never been taught to pray, I prayed, but my prayers had always been personal and direct to my Father. My first response was that, ‘I think that prayer is natural.’ Prayer can be taught but I believe it is not a thing needing to be taught. Prayer is more a yearning. So that when a person becomes aware of and realizes his relationship with his Heavenly Father he yearns to speak to Him. When a person comes to know that they are one of the Father’s sons or daughters, whose turn it is to experience earth for their training period, they will want a relationship with Him. Much like a newborn opening his eyes for the first time, who is able to focus on his mother’s face, he begins to realize that that face is the source of nurturing. At some point, in our maturation of life, we are drawn to essentially reopen our eyes and once again realize that there is another nurturing and loving person that we are dependent on. When we realize that He is there for us, that is, when we look up for the first time. Knowledge of the Father is what makes us realize there is purpose in life and that our life is associated with an important and personal mission. If Heavenly Father sent me to experience earth, to grow and mature then He must also care about how well I am doing with my assignment. The scriptures are our textbook and prophets and leaders are the teachers that guide us.
Even with all the help provided, the Father has promised that we can also consult with Him, anytime. We are provided with whatsoever is needful, from birth to death, if we have faith and understanding of our purpose. So, yes! for me, prayer was natural, and still is whenever I feel a need, a yearning or even desperation. I look to my Father for comfort and even for answers. Someone has said that; “Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, and Faith looks up.” While still in the class I thought about my response, and added, that for me a “looking up” prayer is always the more sincere and emotional way for me to talk with my Father. Kneeling beside our bed before sleep is a checking in type of prayer; heads are down buried oftimes in our folded hands, expressing gratitude for the blessings of the day and the safety that has brought us back to this occasion to speak to Him. But! When I am overwhelmed, in times of joy or mourning, or even just worldly pressure, I find that my head always turns upward. My prayers of sincerest grati- tude, and those in times of greatest stress and strain, are the times when I am ‘looking up.’ These are the prayers when I know that my Father is listening. He is there for me and He is there for anyone of His children who are, at any given moment, feeling the stress of our training and are now seeking comfort and support in order to carry on.