How should I Pray?

 Jedediah M. Grant (Counselor to Brigham Young) taught a principle of prayer to the saints:

“While paying attention to the prayers of some persons in their family devotions, I sometimes notice that they often stop praying without breaking through the darkness and obtaining the Holy Spirit. If I found that it was necessary to pray three hours I would keep praying for that length of time, or until I got the Spirit, unless I remembered that I had neglected a special duty, when I would go and attend to that duty; after which I should want to return and pray until I got the Holy Ghost; I would keep praying until I broke the ice and obtained the Holy Ghost.” (JofD 4:151, October 1856)

I love that he says we should pray until we get the Spirit. I don’t think we often pray like that. We tend to have a certain agenda of wants or a list of concerns about things or people. When we have said all that we feel like saying, we often rise from our knees and go about with our regular business. How great would be our prayers, if we never rose from our knees until we were filled with the Spirit—whether it took a few minutes, or if it took a few hours.

Enos understood this and models the progress of how-to-pray.

He began with a desire and hunger for righteousness. With this desire, he knelt and sought to be forgiven for his sins and transgressions. Verse five of his chapter shows the result of his prayer. “And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.”

Such a miracle! I have experienced this sweet feeling for forgiveness on occasion, and upon feeling cleansed, I have ended my prayers and went about with my day. Enos, however, continues to pray.

Verse 9 says, “Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.”

Once he received a remission for his own sins, he sought out for the welfare of those he loved, his family, the Nephites.

See what happens next in verses 10 and 11: “And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.  And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

Enos prayed long enough for his relationship with the Lord to be solidified to the point that he felt, unshaken in his faith. Because of this, he heard the voice of the Lord and his pleading were answered.

Thinking about Enos and President Grant’s teachings makes me want to be more earnest in my prayers, even until the time comes that I might be unshaken in my faith and filled with the Sprit as well.