"I have learned from countless personal experiences that great is the power of prayer. No earthly authority can separate us from our Creator."
Our Father in Heaven possesses all knowledge, understanding, love and compassion. Prayer is a humble acknowledgment that God is our Father and that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior. It is sincere confession of sin and a request for forgiveness. It is a recognition that we need help beyond our ability. It is an opportunity to express gratitude.
Many prayers are said on our knees, but silent prayers of the heart also reach to heaven. Prayers vary in intensity. In times of great personal hurt or need, more may be required than mere asking.
"The Savior counseled that we should pray for those who despitefully use us. This principle is often overlooked in our prayers. The Prophet Joseph Smith understood it clearly. His petitions were fervent, his motives pure, and the blessings of heaven regular."
No prayer has been more poignant than the Savior's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
"An important element of all our prayers might well be the pattern of that prayer in Gethsemane: 'Not my will, but thine, be done.'"
"I sincerely hope that as we say our daily prayers we remember to ask the Lord's blessings to continue to abide with our beloved leader, President Gordon B. Hinckley. No one — No one — fully knows, not even his counselors, how heavy his burdens and how great his responsibilities."