Prayer - A Commandment and a Blessing

Yesterday I taught lesson 22 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled, Prayer - A Commandment and a Blessing. Here is the outline I prepared to teach this lesson:

Opening

   Write "What is something I can do to make my prayers more effective?" on the chalkboard. 

   Read question on board. Ask sisters to think about this question during the lesson.

Why we pray
   Read Section 1, paragraph 3 (first half)

I wonder if we ever stop to think why the Lord has asked us to pray. Did he ask us to pray because he wants us to bow down and worship him? Is that the main reason? I don’t think it is. He is our Heavenly Father, and we have been commanded to worship him and pray to him in the name of his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. But the Lord can get along without our prayers. His work will go on just the same, whether we pray or whether we do not.

   Ask "Why do you think the Lord has asked us to pray? "

   Read BD Prayer

Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them.

   Read Section 1 paragraph 3 (second half) and paragraph 4

Prayer is something that we need, not that the Lord needs. He knows just how to conduct his affairs and how to take care of them without any help from us. Our prayers are not for the purpose of telling him how to run his business. If we have any such idea as that, then of course we have the wrong idea. Our prayers are uttered more for our sakes, to build us up and give us strength and courage, and to increase our faith in him.
Prayer is something that humbles the soul. It broadens our comprehension; it quickens the mind. It draws us nearer to our Father in heaven. We need his help; there is no question about that. We need the guidance of his Holy Spirit. We need to know what principles have been given to us by which we may come back into his presence. We need to have our minds quickened by the inspiration that comes from him; and for these reasons we pray to him, that he may help us to live so that we will know his truth and be able to walk in its light, that we may, through our faithfulness and our obedience, come back again into his presence.7

Praying Always

   Read Doctrine & Covenants 68:33

And a commandment I give unto them—that he that observeth not his prayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him be had in remembrance before the judge of my people.

   Ask When is the season of prayer? When should we pray? How can we pray always?

   Share example of Tevye from "Fiddler on the Roof."

   Read Alma 34:18-28

Yea, cry unto him for mercy, for he is mighty to save; yea, humble yourselves and continue in prayer unto him; cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks; cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening; yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies; yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them; cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets and your secret places and in your wilderness; yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose this is all, for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need; I say unto you, if ye do not anything of these things, behold, your prayer is vain and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who deny the faith.

   Ask When does Alma say we should pray? (list answers on board)

   Ask What would happen if we were praying always?

   Read Section 2, paragraph 6, last sentence

And if a man will pray as he is commanded to do in this passage of scripture which I have read, then he more than likely will be found in all things righteously keeping the commandments of the Lord.9

   Ask How would praying always help us to keep the commandments?

What We Should Pray For

   Ask What should we be praying for? (Again, list answers on chalkboard)

   Read Section 5, Paragraph 1

We should plead with [Heavenly Father] for faith and integrity and for every godly attribute, for the triumph and success of his work, for the guidance of his Holy Spirit, and for salvation in his kingdom. We should pray for our families, for our wives and children, for food and shelter and clothing, for our business concerns, and for all our righteous desires.14

   Have sisters read following scriptures and tell what scripture says we should pray for:

   3 Nephi 12:44

But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;

   Moroni 7:48

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

   Doctrine & Covenants 31:12

Pray always, lest you enter into temptation and lose your reward.

   Doctrine & Covenants 50:29-30

And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done. But know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask; and as ye are appointed to the head, the spirits shall be subject unto you.

   Mention conference talk by Tad R. Callister - He mentioned praying for things of eternal consequence.

Showing Gratitude

   Read Philippians 4:6

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

   Read Section 4, Paragraph 2

In our prayers we should pour out our souls in thanksgiving for life and being, for the redeeming sacrifice of the Son of God, for the gospel of salvation, for Joseph Smith and the mighty work of restoration brought to pass through him. We should acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all things and thank him for all things both temporal and spiritual.13

   Ask Why is important to be thankful in our prayers?

Doing our Part

   Read Section 3, Paragraph 1

We should not pray merely with our lips; but in every act, in our conversation, in all that we undertake to do, we should try to carry out the expressions of our prayers, and be in harmony with the thoughts that we declare to the Lord in our daily supplications.¹⁰

   Ask What does it mean to carry out the expressions of our prayers?
   Share example of praying for protection, and making sure the doors are locked, or praying for sisters I visit teach and making sure I visit them each month.

The Spirit of Prayer
   Read Section 1, Paragraph 5, last sentence

 Thus, one of the chief purposes of our mortal probation is to see if we can learn with the spirit of prayer always in our hearts so that when the Lord chooses to speak, we shall hear his voice in our souls.⁸

   Read Section 3, Paragraph 2

Are we in possession of the spirit of prayer? Have we made it a part of our very being? Are we in touch with our heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit, or are we not?¹¹ 

   Ask What is the spirit of prayer?

Close
Bear testimony and invite sisters to choose one way they can improve their prayers so that they can help them draw nearer to God.

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My personal teaching style involves having the sisters read passages from the manual and scriptures, and then asking questions that will *hopefully* stimulate discussions. Sometimes because of great discussions, I don't get through everything that I plan, and that's okay. As long as the sisters are participating and involved, I believe that the Spirit will be able to teach them - and it is the Spirit that really teaches. Me by myself? Not so much.

Note to other teachers: I post my lesson plans here to share what I did with this lesson. However, the sisters in my ward may have different needs than the sisters in your own ward. By all means, read my lesson plans to get ideas, but please follow the Spirit when planning your own lessons. Remember to teach by the Spirit because it is the Spirit that carries the truth to the hearts of the listeners. (See 2 Nephi 33:1 and D&C 42:14)