--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Olsen, C. L. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 25 number: 2 published: 1921-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'C. L. Olsen, "About Praying," *Improvement Era* 25, no. 2 (December 1921): 127–129.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2502unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2502unse start_page: 127 end_page: 129 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1921-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2502unse publication_year: 1921 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1921, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # About Praying About Praying By Dr. C. L. Olsen Of the many excellent faith-promoting gems found in our Church literature, the following is from the pen of the late Pres. Geo. Q. Cannon: "Praying frequently helps to praying fer- vently." And, we might add: Praying sincerely develops faith in prayer. Indeed, no matter how frequently or how fervently one might pray, if faith in God is lacking, the mere words, be they every so flowery, become like tinkling cymbals. A poor mortal's entreaty, addressed to his heavenly Father, need not be studded with beautiful phrases of lofty sentiments, so pleasing to the human ear. "The prayer of a righteous man availeth much," be it ever so faulty in verbal construction. It has been said that prayer is the key to the Father's heart. The "lock" to the Father's heart, is no Yale affair, no tumbler latch, no safety contrivance, to keep intruders out. It is always in order, and it readily yields to pressure — the latch- string is within easy reach — it is not hung too high for thie tiniest dwarf — but even the giant must find it, if the door shall open. But, one may ask, why pray at all, especially to a Being who "knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him?" Because it is a divine injunction; and therefore, to pray is right, proper and necessary. By way of analogy, earthly par- ents, even, expect their children to ask for such favors as they wish to receive. "Ye shall pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." "Watch and pray." "Pray without ceasing." These divine injunctions do not imply, however, that man, machine-like, should continuously mutter his prayers, from morning till evening and during the night, every minute, while awake; that he should employ an abacus of wires and beads, a tally-board, or any other mechanical contrivance to help him keep account of the number of prayers offered; or that he, to save himself from the physical exertion involved, should utilize the so-called praying-machine, praying-mill or praying-wheel, used in Thibet and other parts of the East, concerning which the Abbe Hue in his Travels in Thibet, 1844, says: "It is common enough to see them fixed in the bed of a running stream, as they are then set in motion by the water, and go on praying night and day, to the special benefit of the person who has placed them there. The Tartars also suspend them over their domestic hearths, that they may be set in motion by the current of cool air from the opening in the tent, and so twirl for the peace and prosperity of the family." 128 IMPROVEMENT ERA No; prayer is the soul's sincere desire. A prayer, to deserve the significant designation, must be a sacred devotional of the highest order; must spring from the heart's deepest recesses; must be uttered by lips undefiled with hate, malice and rancor; must in very deed express the longings and righteous yearnings of one's inner self, the wishes, hopes and aspirations of the hum- ble supplicant. It must, moreover, be prompted by an abiding faith in "the Giver of all good gifts." Else praying is senseless lip-service, hollow mockery, hypocrisy, out-and-out. The lengthy prayer, abounding in explanatory foot-notes and paraphrastic magniloquence, needs but to be heard, to be detested. Even the Savior despised such prayers. "When thou prayest," he said plainly to his disciples; "thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in the syna- gogues and in corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou pray- est, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speak- ing. Be ye not therefore like unto them," And then, he, the Christ, gave unto his disciples what might be termed a sample prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), a prayer consisting of but half a dozen short sentences — 66 words, in all. Precious few of us even try to imitate the Great Master, in praying! In this connection, it is significant to note that in each of the two prayers used in blessing the sacrament — the only two prayers specifically worded by the Lord, through revelation — the name of our heavenly Father is used but once. If, for the sake of solemnity and impressiveness, it is necessary that the dedicatory prayer of a temple be one of cri- tical exactness, one of careful attention to descriptive details, it does not necessarily follow that in dedicating a grave, one needs to mention every board, nail and screw in the coffin, naming every article, one by one. Such unnecessary verbiage employed detracts from the solemnity of the occasion. In praying, it is essential to obtain "the spirit of the oc- casion." To bring about the complete unanimity of purpose designed, where several persons engage in prayer together, the one acting as mouth should speak distinctly, and loud enough for all participating, to hear him. The inaudible expressions, uttered while kneeling, the face covered with both hands, al- lowing only a small aperture for the mouth, are not calculated to "upbuild" the rest of those kneeling — for instance, around the breakfast or supper table — engaged in that particular prayer. Distinct expression and clear enunciation should be impressed upon children — as well as adults — learning to pray. Indiffer- ence, inattention, carelessness and undue haste tend to mar the ABOUT PRAYING 129 serenity preeminently fitting the moments devoted to solemn worship, be it around the family altar, or elsewhere. , In the hurry and scurry, the bustle and din of this work-a- day world, praying in the home becomes, in many instances, more or less a matter of form — and very poor form, at that. For example : In the morning, let us say, a father — or mother — calls the family together for devotional exercises. All (being truly American) are busy; there is not a minute to spare; father and the older ones must get off to work, while the younger children are swarming around, or flitting hither and thither, getting ready for school. At last, there is a momentary lull in the storm. Prayer is said — perhaps drawled out, to the point of exaspera- tion; perhaps rattled off at a speed defying human mentality to follow it, understandingly ; perhaps mumbled so low that the keenest ear fails to grasp the poorly articulated sounds. Under such circumstances, the best prayer offered loses much of its value. Indeed, so far as mortals are able to judge, such a chaotic devotional must prove well nigh fruitless. Eloquence may have its uses; but it is out of place in pray- ing. In fact, it tends to detract from, rather than add to, the strength of a petition addressed to a Being who knows better than the petitioner his needs. Showy efforts at oratory, rhe- torical bombast, metaphors, similes, flowery phrases and loudly declamatory sentences, become as "sounding brass," when em- ployed in a supposedly humble supplication before the Throne of Grace. The efficacy of prayer, when coupled with an unshakable faith in God, has been treated extensively, times without num- ber, by a great many able exponents, both in ancient and modern times, and need not here be touched upon.