Sunday, June 5th Lesson- I Need Thee Every Hour, taught by Krys C.

Based on Brent Nielson's General Conference talk.

Below are some well-known or important prayers from the scriptures:
- Enos 1
-Mosiah 4 (King Benjamin)
-Abraham pray8ng for God to spare Sodom- Genesis 18:22+
-Jacob prays, then wrestles- Genesis 32:9-12
-Hannah- 1 Samuel 1:10-11, makes a covenant, promises to relinquish to God what she asks for
-Solomon prays for wisdom- 1 Kings 3:5-7
-David- Psalms 51, 2 Samuel 12

What do we learn from these passages about their relationship to God?
What were the purposes of those prayers?
Can our prayers have similar purposes?

From the above examples we learn that we can pray for:

-Temporal and spiritual blessings
-Faith
-Protection- physical and spiritual
-Gratitude
-Pray for others
-Repentance
-Guidance
-Prayer can be a source of knowledge and light (see also Rev 3:20, D&C 50:24)

The examples don't directly demonstrate constancy, but were no doubt a result of it.

Quote #1
-3 Ne 18:18-19
-Ether 2:14

Brent Nielson's reasons to pray:
1) God commanded us to
2) Forgiveness and avoidance of temptation
3)Give thanks and request blessings
4) Receive personal revelation

President James E. Faust had a different list:

1) Acknowledge God is Father and Jesus Christ is Savior and Redeemer
2) Sincere confession of sins and transgression and request for forgiveness
3) Recognition we need help
4) Opportunity to express gratitude
5) Privilege to ask Deity for specific blessings

Quote: "First, prayer is a humble acknowledgment than God is our Father and that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Second, it is a sincere confession of sin and transgression and a request for forgiveness. Third, it is recognition that we need help beyond out own ability. Fourth, it is an opportunity to express thanksgiving and gratitude to our Creator. It is important that we frequently say: 'we thank Thee..., we are grateful to Thee...' Fifth, it is a privilege to ask Deity for specific blessings."
--Sunday Morning Session of General Conference, April 7, 2002, The Lifeline of Prayer, Pres. James E. Faust

How do we take advantage of what prayer provides?

Quote: "The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries- we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, contemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another."
--Gordon B. Hinckley, quoted in "Improving our Prayers" by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (Ensign March 2004)

Quote: "My brothers and sisters, spiritual experiences are available to all who come before their Eternal Father with a broken heart and contrite spirit. One of the things we must do in this mortality is chase away the darkness. We must fill our souls with the light of the Holy Spirit."
--"Improving our Prayers," Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign March 2004