"Prayer to God will give you power to conquer and overcome the evil powers and influences of Satan and this world," said Elder Bernard P. Brockbank of the First Quorum of the Seventy in his October 1979 general conference address.
He said prayer to God is a sacred blessing and that the Savior counseled man on how to pray by giving an example that is known as the Lord's Prayer. (See Matt. 6:9-13.)"We should pray to our Father in Heaven with a hallowed heart; we should pray for His kingdom to come, and by so doing we commit ourselves to build the kingdom of God on this earth," said Elder Brockbank. "As we pray that the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven, we commit ourselves to do the will of God.
"We should thank God for our `daily bread' and ask Him to help us provide the necessities of this life. We should ask our Father for forgiveness of our sins and weaknesses, and commit ourselves to repentance. . . .
"We should ask our Father to help us meet the temptations of this life and to deliver us from evil. When we pray from our hearts and say `For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever,' we commit ourselves. Remember, the kingdom of God, the power of God, the glory of God should be man's most cherished and important blessings and goals in this life."
Elder Brockbank said the need to pray is so important that the prophet Nephi taught "ye should not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." (2 Ne. 32:9.)
To pray with meaning, said Elder Brockbank, requires that one, insofar as possible, knows the true character of God. "Prayer leads to salvation, and ignorance is a deterrent to that goal."
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(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study. Information compiled by Gerry Avant
Sources: Jesus the Christ, by Elder James E. Talmage; and October 1979 and April 1983 general conference reports.