Specific Prayer lesson by President Tenorio

Every Sunday at 2:00 we have a presidency lesson for all the North American missionaries.  The teaching assignment is rotated between the three members of the MTC presidency.  They take turns teaching about important doctrines of the gospel.  

President Tenorio just gave a lesson about “specific prayer”.   I want to remember what he said so I have made some notes on his lesson.

These are two quotes are from Preach my Gospel P. 95

“The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries—we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, contemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another” (Gordon B. Hinckley,Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 469).

“If prayer is only a spasmodic cry at the time of crisis, then it is utterly selfish, and we come to think of God as a repairman or a service agency to help us only in our emergencies. We should remember the Most High day and night—always—not only at times when all other assistance has failed and we desperately need help” (Howard W. Hunter, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter,ed. Clyde J. Williams [1997], 39).

The following is a scale from PMG p. 95 to privately evaluate personal prayers.

·         Recognize that your Heavenly Father knows what you need better than you do. Rely on the Spirit to know what to pray for (see 3 Nephi 19:24; D&C 46:28, 30).

•          Always express gratitude for your blessings. A conscious effort to be grateful will help you recognize how merciful the Lord has been in your life.

• Pray specifically for the guidance and help of the Holy Ghost. Show that you value this blessing by being sensitive to and aware of spiritual promptings. Then courageously follow those promptings.

• Pray with love and charity. Pray for people by name. Ask for inspiration to help you understand and meet their needs. Pray for the welfare of contacts, investigators, new converts, and less-active members. Pray for the members and priesthood and auxiliary leaders in your area. Pray for your family at home. Pray for your companion, other missionaries, and your mission president. Pray to know how you can help others, and then be willing to sacrifice in their behalf.

 D & C 112:10 Be thou humble and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers.

2 Nephi 25:23  For we labor diligently to write to persuade our children and also our brethren to believe in Christ and to be reconciled to God, for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

Plead your case before the Lord.

Abraham taught us how to make “a specific prayer” in Genesis 24.  Thank the Lord for what he has done.  Explain to him what you would like and exactly how you would like it done.  Ask him to, “let it come to pass that…” what you are requesting will happen.  

D & C 84:88  And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."