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Question

 

Dear Gramps,

is ‘praying traditionally’ the only form of valid communication to our Heavenly Father? As in starting with ‘Dear Heavenly Father…’ and ending with ‘…in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen’. Sometimes when things happen in my life, I will be in the moment and I will just close my eyes and wholeheartedly say thank you, or if I am in dire need of comfort I will do the same and ask. It’s not a ‘traditional’ way of praying, but does it count as such anyway, one way or another? Does Heavenly Father still hear me?  Thank you for answering my questions. I am really grateful.

Emmie

 

Answer

 

Hello Emmie,

One might first recognize there are two forms of valid prayer, formal and informal. The traditional form of prayer you address should always be our mode of prayer in our public meetings, in our family home evenings, at meal time, and in our personal morning and evening prayers. In these circumstances an informal prayer shouldn’t be the norm, right? Imagine, for a moment, the individual assigned to give the opening prayer in sacrament (or any formal setting) stands up and says, “Thank you for this Sabbath day. Thank you for our blessings. Thank you for the opportunities we have to learn.” Then removes him/herself from the pulpit and sits down. What are the current thoughts that are entering your heart and mind?

In our formal prayers Heavenly Father should always be addressed. When we address him, personal touches can be added and we do not always need to begin with “Dear”. The important part, in our formal prayers (whether they be in public or private) is that Heavenly Father should be addressed and we end in the name of Jesus Christ.

Informal prayers, on the other hand do not need to follow traditional rules, and are at times sufficient for the circumstance we find ourselves in. Your example of a simple “thank you” is perfect. For example, let’s say in a formal personal or family prayer we specifically asked Heavenly Father in the name of his son for a particular blessing. As we are going about our day, we notice this prayer has been answered. If we are sincere, I believe the Lord understands the heartfelt “thank you” at that moment for the answered prayer. We may even say “Thank you Father. Thank you,” twice because we recognize God blessed us. That is a simple, informal prayer that God will accept; however, in light of this simple prayer, when the day ends and the sun sets having a formal prayer thanking God again would be right, and would be appropriate. Let me share an example, a personal witness of saying an informal and formal prayer.

Human interaction ensures that at some point we will experience conflict with other individuals, and whether that conflict is encountered at school, at church, at social events, or in the workforce we may struggle with a decision. Due to this conflict in my life, in the morning, a formal prayer was given. I asked for specific events that border-lined requesting a sign. At work the spirit witnessed to me that my prayer was answered. Now, in this scenario, in front of co-workers, would it have been appropriate for me to kneel and begin a prayer of thankfulness? The answer is simple, no it would not have been appropriate. The moment the witness was given, immediately in my heart I said, “Thank you. Thank you Father,” and kept it at that. When I retired to bed, a formal prayer was given thanking the Lord in a proper manner for the answer and blessing received.

From this past General Conference Elder Juan A. Uceda, of the Seventy, provided an example of how an informal prayer blessed his life while he was hiking,

“In that moment, I prayed intensely. It was a very brief prayer. I opened my mouth and said, “Father, help me!” He expressed that Heavenly Father answered his prayer; although, not directly related to your question Elder Uceda expresses a very important principle that should give us reason to ponder when he stated, “On the return trip I remained silent, and the idea came to my mind that He had paid attention to my voice but that I had not paid any attention to His. There was a deep pain in my heart for disobeying His voice and at the same time a deep sense of gratitude for His mercy. He did not exercise His justice upon me, but in His great mercy, He had saved my life.” (emphasis added)

In your personal life you may find more circumstances where either formal or informal prayers are more common.  Don’t let that make you feel that you could or should omit the other type.  Either type may be proper for the circumstance.  Both types are required throughout our lives for meaningful communion with Lord. Remember, God is our Father. He loves us and surely in his infinite and eternal love (charity) he recognizes the sincere and simple phrases of “Thank you” and even “I’m sorry” within formal and informal settings of our personal heartfelt prayers.

Gramps

 

 

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