Prayer

As we progress through our lives, continuing performing our church duties, we sometimes tend to fall into the rhythm of things.  We start to just go through the motions.  I am probably one of the people who is most guilty of this.  When we go through the motions, we completely forget the whole point of it all.  We start to "look beyond the mark," as Jacob said in Jacob 4:14.  We miss the most important part of it all, we miss the entire reason we are here.  Yes, we are here to get a body, and to obey the commandments.  But, above all, we are here to continue to develop our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ.

Developing and maintaining those relationships with God the Father and Christ can bring us so much joy.  Whenever I'm just going through the motions, and forgetting the basis of the whole Gospel (Jesus), I always feel like there's something missing.  In those instances, I have never been able to attain that perfect, everlasting happiness.  I feel alone, and slightly cold.  I mean, it is so great that you're keeping the Commandments, but without that personal relationship, it's truthfully not going to avail you too much.  Like, who wants to dwell eternally with a God with whom they don't know very well?

Now, the question is this: "how can we develop this relationship with God?"  Well, how do you develop a relationship with a classmate, or with a family member?  You talk with them.  You confide in them.  And overall, you learn to trust them, even trust them with your life.  The more you talk to them, the stronger the bond becomes.  And the way in which we talk with our Heavenly Father is prayer.  When we get down on our knees, and sincerely pour our heart out to Him, that is talking to the Almighty.  That is where the bond forms.

However, communication is a two-way street.  We can talk to Him through prayer.  Then, how does He talk to us?  He accomplishes this in a few ways.  First, we can listen.  After we finish a prayer, we should sit and ponder for a moment, and give Him a chance to respond to what we just told Him.  Another way that He can communicate to us is through the Holy Scriptures.  God has placed little hidden gems within the scriptures, that He knew that you would need, with His infinite foreknowledge.  We can receive personal messages directly from our Father by reading the scriptures.

Brothers and Sisters, I pray that we can receive that relationship with our God.  I know that through that, we can have eternal and everlasting happiness.  I love my Lord, and I love my Father.  I know that this is the true church here on this Earth today.  I know that God loves us, each individually and specifically.  I would like to say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, amen.