Prayer

Prayer We Stand for Divine Guidance through Individual and Family Prayer.— M. I. A. slogan, 1923-4 Prayer is a desire, a natural longing, an eager wish, aris- ing in the soul to enjoy a coveted good. To pray effectively, one must he in harmony with the Lord, and every prayer must not only be offered in faith, but it must be supported by effort. There is virtue in the couplet: "Think and act a kind and loving thought each day. Pray for what you want, and work for what you pray." The conditions of an acceptable prayer are humility, for- giveness, the avoidance of outward show and vain repetitions, faith, and union. God gives us what we stand in need of when we ask under these conditions, but we have to toil for it, he does not always arbitrarily grant it, but rather through wise and beneficient laws. Our prayers must be pure in motive and unselfish, and must be for the glory of the Father. When prayer is uttered in this spirit it brings man nearer to God and helps him to conquer his baser self, by creating in his heart love for others. It gi\ es man a deeper insight into the ways of God, by placing him in harmony with His Spirit. This har- mony keeps him from temptation, and unspotted from the sins of the world. It gives him greater power, wisdom and might, because it familiarizes him with the laws of God and so insures him the divine guidance that tends to his salvation. We are told to pray always, continuously, and without ceasing. In this injunction, ye learn that it is not enough that we should pray in sickness, in trouble and sorrow, but we should likewise remember the Lord in our prosperity, when we have all the comforts and luxuries and blessings of life at our command. Our words should be few and our hearts full of forgiveness and kne, and our petition uttered in earnest. Family prayers should be held morning and night, to be participated in by the whole family. Members should take their turn in praying with the family, and should be called on to pray often, vocally. Every member of the family should have an opportunity to pray, and no one member should mo-

842 IMPROVEMENT ERA nopolize the privilege of praying before the family. Our prayers* should be informal, without set words. We should pray earnest- ly for what we desire most at the time, and make our prayers full of living wants, and not a jumble of set words meaning little or nothing. Secretly or in public, we should ask for the things most appropriate for the occasion and that which is the uppermost desire in our own hearts, or of the congregation, or of the family. Prayer promotes spiritual growth because it places the spirit of man in the environment of the Spirit of God. It places the petitioner in communion with Him and so gives dhine guidance. It provides spiritual exercise, and keeps alive, active and strong, the eternal spirit of man, enabling it to master the physical and overcome the passions of the flesh. It places man in a pure atmosphere where God's Spirit takes hold of the hand to lead, and enters the mind to direct. In such environment clean thoughts thrive and result in good and noble actions. It keeps one in the faith, for no person can apostatize from the right as long as he prays in the proper spirit. Prayer uttered in the right attitude is one of the most valuable habits that a young person can form. It is a safeguard to youth, a comfort and a pillar of power and strength in middle life, and in old age, a consolation that wipes away the sting of the grate and takes from death its victory. — A The June M. I. A. Conference The conference was a pronounced success both in instruc- tion and in the number who attended. Two outstanding themes were dwelt upon, namely, prayer and recreation. Supt. Richard K. Lyman introduced the slogan for the year: "We stand for Divine Guidance Through Individual and Family Prayer." The slogan was further introduced at every meeting both general and departmental, and there was appro- priate scripture reading accompanying! each introduction. Among these was the injunction of the Lord to the Saints, found in the Doc. and Cov., 19:28: "I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world, as well as in secret, in public as well as in private." The other leading theme was clean recreation. Special emphasis was placed upon this subject. The new obligation resting upon the Mutual Improvement Associations in directing the leisure time and play of the people of the Church was dwelt upon, and the heavy responsibility resting upon the lead- ers in this matter was pointed out. We have faith in our great volunteer leadership to put into efficient effect this pressing