Prayer

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Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
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Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning,
mid-day, and evening.
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Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
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Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
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Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
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Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
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But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your
secret places, and in your wilderness.

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Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full,
drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for
the welfare of those who are around you. (Alma 34:2027)

he notion that love makes the world go round is lacking in many ways. Love
motivates us to do good things, sure, but it is prayer that gives us love,
and thus changes our hearts. Prayer changes things is another clich much like

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Wilkins Family Creed

the one about love, but it is absolutely true. Amulek counsels us to be a little
meticulous in our prayers, perhaps because much of the outcome of our lives
is dependent on our communication with our Heavenly Father. Prayer gives us
access to his guidance, which we desperately need in todays world. In the above
scripture, Amulek counsels us to pray for many things, including our flocks and
fields. But what if I dont have flocks and fields? This counsel certainly applies
to whatever things occupy our lives: work, homework, church callings, family
relationships, and so on. A wise editing professor once said that he did not
have crops and fields, but he did have manuscripts. So he prayed over them.
They were important to him and he wanted to make wise editing choices.

How Often Should We Pray?

It is important to take the opportunities we are given to pray. If you happen to
be alone and wondering what to do, just pray. If you ever feel like it, pray. If
you dont feel like praying, pray anyway. Amulek gives us a substantial list of
things to pray for. Then he adds to let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer
. . . continually. Our communication with Heavenly Father is like an open radio
channel. We can constantly and instantly reach his radio with our hearts.
Prayer can be a simple thought. Wherever we are, our Father is always tuned
in, listening.
It is interesting that Amulek uses the word cry instead of pray. Crying
unto the Lord, and not just repeating common (vain) phrases from the LDS
vernacular of prayer, suggests sincerity and feeling. How we speak to our
Heavenly Father should be how we would speak to our closest friend. If you
have ever sought counsel from someone you loved and trusted, think about
the emotions you felt, your humility, and your dependence on that person in
that given time. Ideally, we should be ever dependent on the Father for all
our doings. His way needs to be our way. Prayer requires humility, especially
when we apply the Atonement and seek forgiveness for our sins, which we
need to do every day.

The Atonement
The Atonement, like prayer and the scriptures, is a source of strength. When
we sincerely seek forgiveness in our prayers, Heavenly Father accepts our
repentance and gives us actual physical and spiritual strength. We (Scott and
Christine) have come to find that the inability to focus, as well as feelings of
discouragement and anxiety, are all consequences of living in a fast-paced
world. But they can also be indicators of the need for repentance. Honestly,

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Prayer

we need to repent every day! We need the Atonement every single day! When we
apply the Atonement and repent, we are able to have clarity in our minds and
confidence in our steps. This is truth. We are weak: The Atonement makes us
capable of meeting our daily challenges.
The Atonement is literally the power that holds the universe together. All life
depends on light, and the Savior is the light and life of the world and everything
therein. In Doctrine and Covenants 88, we find:
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He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in
that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all
things, the light of truth;
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Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun,
and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
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As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power
thereof by which it was made;
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As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were
made;
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And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which
you stand.
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And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who
enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your
understandings;
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Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space
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The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is
the claw by which all things are governed, even the power of God who
sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the
midst of all things. (613)

It is a given that the sun fosters life. But what fosters spiritual life is not so
easily seen. As the above scriptures state, the light of Christ is as tangible as
the sun. If we heed the light of Christ, which is given to all of Gods children,
daily choices between right and wrong will also become more obvious. The difference will be as night and day. We will understand the darkness, because no
light can exist in it; we will understand the light, because light dispels darkness.

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The Light of Christ gives life to everything.