Did you ever say something and then feel like you needed to follow up with a clarification? Maybe the body language or the response of the listener suggested that they didn’t understand the point you were trying to make, and you believed that rephrasing your statement, providing context, or going into more detail would make a difference.
It’s different when we pray. We’re talking to Someone who knows more about us than we know about ourselves. Jesus said, “When ye pray, use not vain repetitions … for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him” (3 Nephi 13:7-8, Matthew 6:7-8). He then provided as an example a concise and straightforward prayer, stating clearly His desires and making specific requests but not belaboring them.
We never have to clarify anything to God—He already knows what we’re trying to say. But we may need to clarify for ourselves. Asking the right question can be a prerequisite for receiving and understanding the answer. In the words of Clayton Christensen, “Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven’t asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go” (quoted in Hal Gregersen, Questions Are the Answer (2018), 17).
Paul observed, “We know not what we should pray for.” He followed up with the assurance that “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). When the Nephites and Lamanites prayed on the second day of His ministry among them, “they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray” (3 Nephi 19:24).
It sounds like one of the most important things we can pray for is to know what we should pray for.
Elder Paul B. Pieper received valuable guidance about his prayers as his family passed through an overwhelming set of trials. One day, the following sentence entered his mind and heart: “Don’t ask why; ask what I want you to learn” (“Trust in the Lord,” General Conference, April 2024). That paradigm shift prepared him to receive and appreciate the blessings which came shortly afterward.
Today, I will seek God’s help to improve the quality of my prayers. I will remember that God already knows everything I need. As He helps me improve my questions and my requests, I become more capable of receiving the answers and blessings He is willing to provide.
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