And this is reminiscent of what we do during Sacrament meeting...repeat the same phrase from an event that happened thousands of years ago to which we continue to reap a blessing from.
Truman Madsen said that he was with an apostle when he described seeing the Last Supper and was struck with the tenderness he saw Christ exhibit during that night. It makes sense...He washed the Apostles' feet and then wanted them to know that although He was going to die and they would be scattered, they would not be comfortless-He would send a Comforter and they would have peace, not like the kind the world gives, but a heavenly kind. Christ knew He was about to face the hardest and darkest night this world has yet or will see, and yet He was worried about his group of disciples. He wanted to make sure they were comforted. That they could find peace.
And you know what, I don't think that tenderness and concern has ceased once He ascended into Heaven. He is an unchangeable God. He has not stopped caring about whether we feel alone, comforted, and find solace in a troubled world. So when taking the Sacrament, and thinking about that night that Christ blessed and broke the bread Himself and gave it to His close friends, it reminds me that He still cares.
He has given us the Sacrament as a weekly reminder...He doesn't want us to forget!!!...that He is tenderly watching over us and promises to send us the Comforter as our constant companion...if we will allow it into our lives.
So the disciples had finished a nice meal, one of the best all year, went through many recitations of Passover, and then were taught new doctrine from Christ about a Comforter about to come to them once He left for Heaven, that they were about to be scattered, then tells them of His death and Resurrection and that He is the Son of God. There was quite an emotional and physical weariness from all the day's events. So when they get to the mount, they were all exhausted. No wonder it was hard to stay awake. But someone was awake and recorded what He said.
"For I have given unto them the awords which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I bcame out from thee, and they have cbelieved that thou didst send me.
I apray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which bthou hast given me; for they are thine. Neither apray I for these alone, but for them also which shall bbelieve on me through their word;
That they all may be aone; as thou, bFather, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be cone in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made aperfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast bloved them, as thou hast loved me."
Does the tone of the prayer sound like the Lord as described by the Israelites after being freed from Pharaoh's rule?
Exodus 15
The Lord is a man of awar. Pharaoh’s achariots and his host hath he bcast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the cRed sea...they sank into the bottom as a astone.
Thy aright bhand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as astubble.
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. The people shall ahear, and be afraid:
(then they continue with):
sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of bPalestina.
Then the adukes of bEdom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall cmelt away. aFear and bdread shall fall upon them.
(As if to say, if you just destroyed the Egyptians, everyone else will cower and be afraid to mess with us because you have our back).
But later in Exodus 20, all their praising of God turned to fear and they said to Moses when he came down after receiving the 10 commandments,
"And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God aspeak with us, lest we die."
THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF GOD! They believed Him to be a man of war who would rather sink a bunch of worthless captains as lead to the bottom of the Sea and consume people as stubble....just to protect them. But then when it came to God offering to speak to them, they would not. It was not God who distanced Himself or tried to make himself unknown or hidden. It was the people. They thought he was full of wrath when dealing with Pharoah's captains and they must have still held that idea when they thought of meeting Him at Mount Sinai.
God wants to be with us, comfort us, teach us and help us. He does not enjoy destroying people. I doubt he was singing like the Israelites. He was more likely saddened that some of His own creations were drowning.
When Alma prayed to God to help his son, Alma the younger, an angel appeared to Alma the younger and told him specifically that "the Lord hath head the prayers of his people...for he has prayed with much faith...that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith". (Mosiah 27:14)
God did not hire someone else to be his telecommunicator for Him. He has more kids than we can count, yet He wants to hear every one of our pleas.
Doctrine and Covenants 90:1 says, "Thus saith the Lord, verily, verily I say unto you my son, thy sins are forgiven thee, according to thy petition, for thy prayers and the prayers of thy brethren have come up into my ears.
In Matt. 23:37 Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
And in 2 Nephi 9:41 gives another glimpse of what kind of Man is listening on the other end of that prayer, "O then, my beloved brethren, acome unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the bway for man is cnarrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the dgate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.
I enjoy reading how Christ prays to His Father...He knew the right relationship. In Bible Dictionary under Prayer, I have always wondered what it really meant when it said, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship."
What does a prayer look like that is natural and instinctive?
What are the so-called difficulties about prayer?
If you read Matt 7:7-11, seems like we can receive alot from our Father in Heaven if we understand this relationship.
7 ¶aAsk, and it shall be bgiven you; cseek, and ye shall find; dknock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that aseeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If ye then, abeing
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more
shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask
him?
Continuing in Bible Dictionary, "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."
Prayer, to a loving, tender, watchful Father in Heaven, from an obedient child can secure for ourselves and for others so very many blessings. He always picks up the receiver when we call. We will never find a busy signal. And can you imagine speaking to a divine Heavenly Being who awaits what we have to say and then blesses us with what will help us the greatest? Think about what is happening! He employes no servant as the prayer taker, and as oft as we will gather, He will receive us. He is tireless and an enduring optimistic.
Prayer is a way to obtain the "highest of all blessings". That sounds like being able to live with Him once we die. If we do prayer right...because there are difficulties with prayer/ways to not pray correctly....then we can come to know Him and be one with Him...just as Christ prayed for that night in Gethsemane. We use prayer to align our will to His. Like Elder Bednar said,Revelation is communication from Heavenly Father to His children on
earth. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and
knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable
things that bring joy and eternal life (see D&C 42:61). The mysteries are those matters that can only be known and understood by the power of the Holy Ghost (see Harold B. Lee, Ye Are the Light of the World [1974], 211). There may be things in our character, in our behavior, or concerning our
spiritual growth about which we need to counsel with Heavenly Father in
morning prayer. After expressing
appropriate thanks for blessings received, we plead for understanding,
direction, and help to do the things we cannot do in our own strength
alone. For example, as we pray, we might:
- Reflect on those occasions when we have spoken harshly or inappropriately to those we love the most.
- Recognize that we know better than this, but we do not always act in accordance with what we know.
- Express remorse for our weaknesses and for not putting off the natural man more earnestly.
- Determine to pattern our life after the Savior more completely.
- Plead for greater strength to do and to become better.
Such a prayer is a key part of the spiritual preparation for our day.
At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We
review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the
blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance
of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better
tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer."
He also said, "Simply saying prayers is quite a different thing from engaging in meaningful prayer. I expect that all of us already know that prayer
is essential for our spiritual development and protection. But what we
know is not always reflected in what we do. And even though we recognize
the importance of prayer, all of us can improve the consistency and efficacy of our personal and family prayers."
"Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children."
We are given a commandment to Pray Always. Remembering the nature of the Person to whom we are praying will help our prayers become natural and instinctive....not repeated, quick and without much thought. Using Prayer like Elder Bednar explained, will help us grow more united with God....which will allow us to receive Eternal Life-to know God. And that is one of the highest blessings I can think of. What a wonderful gift we have been given to Pray. It is our blessing and privilege, not a mundane task to do before starting our day or ending it. God does not treat them lightly and once we come to know who is on the other end, we can't wait to go back and talk with Him some more. It will be a sweet thing to see Him face-to-face when we die and return to Him and not have to feel like we need to build a relationship with this stranger, for He has so obviously not been far from our thoughts.
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