Prayer and Meditation

Prayer is to God and no one else. It consists of a sincere heartfelt talk with Heavenly Father. It is seen as a way of knowing God and moving closer to him, and in the process becoming more like God. In the Book of Mormon, Jesus states that “Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:19). There tend to be four formulaic phrases that structure prayer: “Our Father in heaven…”, “We thank thee…”, “We ask thee…”, “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen”. They use respectful language to address God; in English, Thee or Thou.

God hears and answers prayers, but the power of prayer depends on the individual believer. Individuals often pray morning and night. Families may come together morning and evening to pray together about, for example, everyday activities, resisting temptation or for the welfare of persons in need. All members may take turns leading prayer, asking a blessing on food prior to eating, for example. After finishing a heartfelt private prayer, Mormons try to listen for God’s response. Anyone can offer a prayer at Church meetings. They tend to be simple and brief. There are few formal prayers, those they do have are used in Temple ordinances; there is also a baptismal prayer, and two sacrament prayers.