General Youth Leaders Teach About Prayer in Coordinated Social Posts

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By Mary Richards, Church News

Heavenly Father wants His children to pray to Him to strengthen their connection with Him — and gratitude, forgiveness, power, worthiness, spiritual impressions and trust are all a part of reverent prayer, taught the Young Men and Young Women general presidencies in a series of simultaneous social media posts.

Praying for Forgiveness

Beginning with Young Men General President Steven J. Lund, each post on Instagram and Facebook pointed to the next one in a row for people to read all six and watch the videos that were posted Tuesday, July 11.

President Lund wrote that the most sacred moments happen during prayer — as he approaches Heavenly Father, humbly submitting his weakness to His strength.

“One of the most beautiful things Heavenly Father invites us to pray about is forgiveness,” President Lund said in the posts on Facebook and Instagram.

Closing Prayer With ‘Amen’

Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon said people can show they want to hear from God by using the word “amen.”

The ancient Hebrew word “aman” means “trust or believe,” President Cordon said in the video on Facebook and Instagram.

“When I’m closing my prayer, it is as if I am saying, ‘in the name of Jesus Christ, whom I believe and trust.’ That is powerful,” she said.

Worthiness in Prayer

Brother Bradley R. Wilcox, First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, said people may feel that they are not worthy to pray. “But we don’t pray because we are worthy, we pray because we need help.”

People may also wonder whether they even need to ask for things if God knows what they need before they ask.

“Prayer is not just about getting what we want or need. It is about acknowledging God as our source of help and strengthening our relationship with Him,” Brother Wilcox explained on Facebook and Instagram.

Praying With Gratitude

When it comes to expressing gratitude in prayer, Sister Michelle D. Craig, the First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, said she articulates specific blessings for which she is grateful — sunshine, blossoms, the sound of a baby laughing or her husband singing; the smell of rolls on a Sunday afternoon.

“Our Father in Heaven is the giver of all good gifts (see James 1:17), and I want to be a gracious receiver, especially in my prayers,” she said in the video on Facebook and Instagram.

Power From Prayer

The Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Brother Michael T. Nelson, told about a time when his 6-year-old son was lost at an amusement park. The family searched the area, full of fear and worry.

When he reached the front gate, a strong impression guided him to return to his family. That’s when they knelt in prayer together. Then Brother Nelson went a different direction and soon found their son.

“Prayers parted the heavens more clearly that day in each moment,” he wrote in on Facebook and Instagram. “Prayer can do that; it can give you the power to move forward, the power to see and the power to hear.”

Spiritual Inspiration From Praying

For years, Sister Rebecca L. Craven worried that she could not concentrate when she was praying because little thoughts would pop into her brain.

But the Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency realized as she paid attention, the thoughts were not random — they were from the Spirit giving her pieces of inspiration.

“Now when those things pop into my mind while I’m praying, I pay really close attention to them so I know what it is that Heavenly Father wants me to know or to remember that day,” Sister Craven said on Facebook and Instagram.

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