The Pattern of Prayer

I was reading in 3 Nephi 13:9-13 and contemplated the pattern of prayer taught by the Lord. I do believe he's teaching us more than just what to say, but why and how to say it.

v9: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." First, acknowledging in reverence who we're speaking with. I heard someone once say that they will start their prayers by invoking Heavenly Father's name and then waiting until they feel a connection. Sometimes it might be one minute, other times it may take a lot longer.

v10: "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." He's instructing us to start our prayers by acknowledging that his ways are higher than our ways. That his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. In other words, let me pray that which is in accordance to THY will and not mine.

v11: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  First, we're to repent before him and seek to be clean. Once we've sought for his forgiveness and repented of our own iniquities, we should immediately forgive those who have caused us offense...whether justified or not. Once we have repented, are clean before him, and forgive any who have caused offense, then we are ready to move on in our prayers. This isn't just a suggestion, in later verses he goes on to say that he won't forgive us unless we forgive others their trespasses.

v12: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Assuming that we have repented and hold no offense, he instructs us to ask for power over the adversary. He's asking us to pray that we will personally have power over any unclean or evil entity. That our homes might be cleared of any evil and that we might be protected against the wiles of the adversary...through angels, shielding, or whatever you feel inspired to ask for.

v13: "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, the glory, forever. Amen." As we close, we acknowledge who he is and that his ways are the highest, that his will should be done because he is the king and an all-knowing Father.

In this pattern, I see several things:
1. Acknowledge who we're conversing with.
2. Acknowledge that his ways are higher than our ways and that we seek his will...always.
3. That we repent and seek his forgiveness. At the same time, I need to forgive any who have offended me, whether justified or not.
4. Pray for power over the adversary and his followers.
5. Acknowledge again that Heavenly Father is all-powerful and that I seek his will.

Certainly there are other things to pray for and about. But, I love the pattern set as the foundation for prayer. I would be very hesitant to remove any parts of this foundational pattern from my prayers.

An Inspiring Story!

I felt like sharing this powerful and inspiring story. With all the negative things in the world, this was a shining example of how hearts continue to be changed and the work of the Lord continues to spread around the world...through many different means.

By Emmilie Buchanan-Whitlock, Deseret News Published: Monday, May 13 2013 5:00 a.m. MDT

For 35 years, Richard Marcus couldn’t remember going to bed without a drink.

Night after night, the California resident and former mayor of Culver City, Calif., would pour himself a drink or two and lie down to sleep. But on Oct. 20, 2012, Marcus recognized that something was different.

“I put the glass to my lips and the Spirit was gone like that,” Marcus said with a snap of his fingers. “I had gone from someone who was Spirit-filled and now I had nothing.”

Marcus, a married father of two, had spent the weekend watching sessions of the October 2012 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over and over, taking notes, trying to comprehend the messages of modern-day apostles.

The stark contrast between the Spirit he felt during the course of the day and the absence of it that night was riveting for Marcus. He knew he had some changing to do.

Marcus finished his liquor that night and put down the empty glass. It was the last one he had.

Two weeks later, Marcus was sitting in the doctor’s office for an annual check-up. He reported giving up drinking without experiencing a single negative side effect. As a self-described "high-functioning alcoholic," this was an incredible feat.

“That’s miraculous,” Marcus’ doctor said.

Marcus only smiled.

“That’s an interesting choice of words,” Marcus told his doctor. “Do you have about 15 minutes?”

He then proceeded to tell his doctor about the events that had occupied his life the few months prior to that fateful night in late October.

It all started June 2012 with a colleague from Arizona named Paula Gorbutt.

Gorbutt and Marcus met at a business convention in Las Vegas and formed a friendship based on their mutual political interests. Marcus works in finance but had been on the Culver City Council for years and served as mayor.

“You know I’m a Mormon, right?” Gorbutt asked Marcus.

He didn’t. And the question took him by surprise.

While he couldn’t understand why Gorbutt had asked the question, it didn’t stop the cogs in his head from turning. Over the next few months, Marcus found himself with an unending supply of questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Marcus had done some research on Mormon.org, even liked it on Facebook and spent hours talking with Gorbutt about his questions.

One day, a friend called offering an extra ticket to the musical, “The Book of Mormon,” which was playing in Los Angeles. Marcus accepted.

“I was looking for anything I could,” he said. “I knew it was a goof, a spoof, a satire, but I thought, ‘I don’t have anything. Maybe I should check that out.’”

Marcus attended the irreverent, off-color but critically acclaimed musical at the Pantages Theatre in early September.

"I wanted even more to find out what this was all about,” Marcus said.

After the show, Marcus was buying souvenirs when he saw it: a book sitting on the counter titled "The Book of Mormon." He bought it, but to his dismay, learned that it was simply the script for the musical.

His questions continued, and finally Gorbutt told him it was time for a visit from the missionaries. Though he was a little hesitant, Marcus did not protest.

After several unsuccessful attempts at locating the elders, Marcus logged on to Mormon.org with two goals — to find his meetinghouse and secure a visit from the missionaries.

He typed in his address. The results indicated that the closest building happened to be the same one he had been meeting in for the past 15 years as an active member of the local Scouting community.

“I had my first Cub Scout leader training at that church,” Marcus said.

With a feeling of encouragement that he was on the right path, he filled out the necessary information online for a missionary visit.

“Three days later, two angels showed up on my doorstep. Sister Davis and Sister Jones.”

They talked on the doorstep of Marcus’ home in Culver City for 40 minutes. Afterward, they prayed. Sister Jenna Davis then placed the blue softbound copy of the Book of Mormon into Marcus’ hand.

“You don’t know how much I’ve been waiting for this,” Marcus told the sisters.

He got choked up when the sisters had him read a passage from the Book of Moroni, which promised Marcus that if he would read and pray, he would be able to recognize truth through the influence of the Holy Ghost. Marcus committed to find out if the Book of Mormon was true.

And the answers came.

One of them was about his concern of living the Word of Wisdom, a belief that teaches members of the LDS faith to abstain from harmful, addictive substances such as tobacco and alcohol.

He turned to his new copy of the Book of Mormon. When he opened to a page in the book of Alma, this is what he found.

“See that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober.”

“You try and tell me this book’s not true,” Marcus said.

A few days after his first meeting with the missionaries, Marcus found himself praying about the Book of Mormon during his morning prayer.

“I don’t know from where, but this intensity came into me. I couldn’t even finish my prayer. I was so overwhelmed. I thought that maybe my head was going to explode or my heart was going to burst right out of my chest.”

Marcus drove to the Los Angeles Temple Visitors' Center where the sister missionaries were serving. He opened the book to a passage he found earlier that day, read them a portion of it and closed the book with a snap.

“This book is true,” he told them.

On Dec. 9, 2012, Marcus was baptized a member of the LDS Church, in the building he had first stepped foot in 15 years before.

During the services, Marcus was asked to share a few of his thoughts. As he stood in front of the group that had come to support him, he felt it only appropriate to sing one song — "Amazing Grace."

“I just belted it out. Before I knew it, everyone joined in,” Marcus said. “That’s the story right there, because I feel that I had been saved. You know the part in there about the wretch? That would be me.”

Since joining the church, Marcus has been called as assistant secretary of the high priest group, has taught lessons with the missionaries, has shuttled converts to and from church and has sung in the choir each week.

Marcus said all of this started with Gorbett’s simple question.

“You know I’m a Mormon, right?”

Now he does. And he is, too.