Why Pray?


Connie
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What would you consider a good LDS answer to the following question:

Why should i pray when God already knows everything about me--my thoughts, actions and desires. He knows what i need better than i do. So why should i pray?

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To build a relationship!  Knowing everything there is to know about someone is not the same as having a relationship with them.  I am a huge fan of Waylon Jennings and know a lot about him by reading about him, but does that mean I have any sort of a relationship with him?  No!  You need voluntary communication for that to happen, a two-way give and take!

Also to worship Him (this is my answer for people who ask why we need to go to Church... we need to worship Him and praying and going to church is how you do that).

God also generally gives us commandments for our benefit.  Perhaps another reason we pray is to help us more clearly see His ever-present love and involvement in our lives and to more clearly discern His will for us, as a way of honing our senses so that we are perceiving what He is trying to tell us?

Edited by DoctorLemon
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8 hours ago, Connie said:

What would you consider a good LDS answer to the following question:

Why should i pray when God already knows everything about me--my thoughts, actions and desires. He knows what i need better than i do. So why should i pray?

Because we don't know everything about Him (or ourselves for that matter!) and prayer is a good way to not only find out about Him but to come to know Him personally.

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Full Disclosure - I struggle with prayer. 

 

But my answer is first we simply are commanded to.

Second, there are blessings and protections that are available to us, but they are predicated on our faith and without exercising even the most minimal measure of faith it takes to simply ask, they will not be provided to us.

I've experienced this as a parent, when I dump things (I think are blessings) on my kids that I see they need, they often reject it or utilize it in a manner that has no lasting effect. I have learned to wait till they ask for my help in many things (not all), because it seems more effective and beneficial and affects our relationship in a much more profound way. Maybe there is a principle there in how Heavenly Father blesses us.

I think Heavenly Father is waiting for us to just ask and in so doing protects our agency and ensures the blessing is for our benefit.

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15 hours ago, Connie said:

What would you consider a good LDS answer to the following question:

Why should i pray when God already knows everything about me--my thoughts, actions and desires. He knows what i need better than i do. So why should i pray?

I believe the main purpose of prayer is to change our hearts in order to effectively receive the blessing G-d has intended and reserved for us.

 

The Traveler

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5 hours ago, Windseeker said:

Full Disclosure - I struggle with prayer. 

 

 

I have found that if I begin my day with a prayer highlighting my plans for the day and a petition to G-d that he approve and assist (support) me in my efforts and then at night report to G-d what I did and was able to accomplish – that my prayers are less of a struggle.  Often I discover that things I think are so very important, when presented to G-d, seem quite trivial in the more important grand scheme of things and then when I report my day – that I did not put forth the effort I should have.

The effect of my prayers become more of an engine for my need to change and view things than to change anything else in the world.  Often I pray for other and then realize that they have their agency and need to make their own decisions.

 

The Traveler

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From the Bible Dictionary

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/prayer?lang=eng&letter=p

Quote

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. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings...

We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.

This explains two things:

1) We change ourselves and connect with God through real meaningful prayer.  It is the primary method of communion with Him.
2) To secure blessings as described.

I find one thing conspicuously missing in the BD entry.  Prayer is the most common means of giving thanks to Him.  I try to make it a point to teach my children that when we pronounce the blessing on the food, the primary object is not to bless, but to give thanks.  I still have kids who ask to bless the food and forget to give thanks.  I keep trying.

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38 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

From the Bible Dictionary

Carb beat me to the punch...this is an idea that has been burned for years in my mind since reading the BD...

"secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them."

No matter how much we might need a blessing, aide, burden lifted, our Father in Heaven withholds certain blessings until we are willing to ask for them. 

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I read this article today and thought this was a particularly good reason to pray..."A prayer should not be a wish list of things we want from Heavenly Father. It should be the other way around; prayer should be about finding out what Heavenly Father wants for us. This is because Heavenly Father knows all things, including what is best for us. So we should seek to see through His eternal perspective, and ask for His plan and will to be done, not our often misguided or shortsighted plan. "

http://www.ldsliving.com/3-Things-the-Holy-Ghost-Does-for-You-That-You-May-Not-Know/s/83387?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=ctr

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  • pam featured this topic

In not reading all the post responses (could be redundant answer then) I have liked Elder Bednar reference with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve partake of the fruit and they hide themselves, our Father in heaven then asks a question pertaining to Adam's whereabouts. The question proposed by Elder Bednar is, "Do you really think God did not know where Adam and Eve were?" 

God wanted Adam to know where exactly Adam was. We are being to act and not to be acted upon. God's question was an opportunity for Adam to act. Our prayer is our opportunity to act, express for ourselves our needs, and then give gratitude for whatever is received (the "whatever" we receive is a part I have difficulty with myself, I like receiving what I ask for, and not "whatever" is received :) ). 

I also think we would be no different than the Atheist population, who do not ask and do not thank, but are constantly being blessed by God. We would be less thankful. I think Elder Renlund's talk regarding the further the distance between us and God the more we are entitled. The offering of a prayer is to draw us closer to the relationship we have with God.

Edited by Anddenex
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On 10/9/2016 at 10:30 PM, Connie said:

What would you consider a good LDS answer to the following question:

Why should i pray when God already knows everything about me--my thoughts, actions and desires. He knows what i need better than i do. So why should i pray?

Rather than seeking to align the will of God to one's desires. In seeking the desires of God for oneself, prayer over time, aligns one's will to God's.

Edited by Blueskye2
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  • pam unfeatured this topic

This may seem selfish, but I pray because God is my friend that I can trust and depend on. I often ask for His advice on many situations in life. Like, I might be struggling with my feelings or with a family member. I can talk to Him about anything. I know He understands me. I know He loves me. I trust Him completely. I love that He listens to me. He has a way of making feel better whenever I am in need of relief. Praying to God helps me feel connected and as being a part of a family. He talks back to me, gives me ideas. He provides a better way to handle or deal with things. He shows me my weaknesses, but never punitively, or with anger, contempt, or anything of the sort. I love Him, so I pray to Him.

I understand that He knows the beginning from the end, but I don't know the beginning from the end. So, I pray to Him to find out what I don't know. I know He doesn't mind and is happy to reveal things to me.

-Finrock

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  • 2 weeks later...
On October 9, 2016 at 10:30 PM, Connie said:

What would you consider a good LDS answer to the following question:

Why should i pray when God already knows everything about me--my thoughts, actions and desires. He knows what i need better than i do. So why should i pray?

To humble oneself.

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