I saw a quote the other day that has really made me think, “Prayer is not just for times of trouble.”1 Undoubtedly, we are living in some pretty troubled times. Invitations to join in specific days of prayer are happening with regularity. We are talking more about prayer and more people are praying. And that is a good thing! Turning to a loving Heavenly Father in times of crisis is normal. Trials almost always take us to our knees. But do we stay there when life gets better? Prayer was never intended to only be a crisis line. How would we feel if the only time someone reached out to us was if they needed something? That wouldn’t make for a very good relationship. The same is true with our Heavenly Father.
We need to make prayer a consistent and thoughtful part of each day. I believe that is the reason the scriptures teach us to “counsel with the Lord in all thy doings” and repeatedly to “pray always.” Bonnie H. Cordon recently taught, “As we consistently go to Heavenly Father in prayer, we develop a relationship with Him.”2 Bruce D. Porter said that prayer is “surely among the greatest of gifts given by our Father in Heaven to His children on earth. Prayer is the ordained means by which men and women, and even little children, come to know God. It is our channel of communication with heaven.”3
Communication is more than asking. Of course Heavenly Father wants us to ask Him for help. But an extremely important part of prayer is to express gratitude, especially in times of trial. Nothing helps us keep an eternal perspective more than recognizing the many blessings we receive from God. Let me share a personal experience. As part of my gospel study, I like to read and reread the most recent general conference talks. Not long after my daughter passed away, I read David A. Bednar’s talk, “Pray Always.” While he was serving as president of BYU-Idaho, his family learned a valuable lesson from an apostle about “the power of thankfulness in meaningful prayer.” Earlier in the day, Elder Bednar and his wife had learned that a dear friend had passed away. That evening, as he asked his wife to pray, the visiting apostle, unaware of their friend’s death, “graciously suggested that in the prayer Sister Bednar express only appreciation for blessings received and ask for nothing.” At such a time, Elder Bednar said, “requesting blessings for our friends initially seemed to us more urgent than expressing thanks.” As Sister Bednar faithfully responded to the apostle’s request, the family “learned from that experience a great lesson about the power of thankfulness in meaningful prayer.”4
That night I decided to do the same thing. It wasn’t that I hadn’t been expressing gratitude, I definitely had been—more than ever before. But I was understandably asking for His blessings on me and my family. I cannot even begin to tell you the sweet experience I had that night. The depth of my gratitude changed as I poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father in thanksgiving. Tears flowed as I expressed my deep gratitude for His tender, loving care, for the gift of His Beloved Son and for the continual comfort and peace from the Holy Ghost. I thanked Him for the blessings of the temple and the knowledge that families are forever. I thanked Him for family and friends, whose love and support were unending, and for parents who had taught me the truths of the gospel. As I thanked Him, I was better able to recognize just how truly blessed I was and am!
“There is a power that comes as we are generous with our gratitude,” said Sister Cordon. I testify that is true! She continued, “As we sincerely thank God in and through our trials, we invite Him to help us see our trials and ourselves in a different way. Thanking Him rather than asking for something to be taken away helps us accept His unceasing effort to mold us into who we are meant to become. … How would our relationship with our Father change if the passion and sincerity of our prayers did not wane after the crisis has passed? Can you imagine the truths we will discover and the wonders we will achieve as we choose to ‘pray always’ with the same fervor we plead with when we are in need?”2
That is our challenge! Heavenly Father blesses our lives every day! May we be wise enough to recognize those blessings and thank Him for them. For even on our darkest days, our blessings can and should shine bright enough to help us through our trials.
References:
1. We Never Walk Alone – Thomas S. Monson
2. Ask of God: Our Solace, Guide, and Stay – Bonnie H. Cordon
3. Did You Think to Pray? – Bruce D. Porter
4. Pray Always – David A. Bednar