"Prayer--a holy balm which soothes and heals the scars in a wounded breast.
"Prayer--an angel"s kiss on the longing lips of loneliness.
"Prayer--a rod that bars the way between the human soul and sin.
"Prayer--a choking sob of anguish from pain-drawn lips in plea for help."
Under question II. "Why should I pray?"
"And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 59:9.)
"Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death. Even so. Amen."
(Doc. & Cov., Sec. 61:39.)
"Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit, and in this there is no condemnation, and ye receive the Spirit through prayer; wherefore, without this there remaineth condemnation." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 63:64.)
"The keys of the kingdom of G.o.d are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth;
"Yea, a voice crying--Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom;
"Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people;
"Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of G.o.d which is set up on the earth;
"Wherefore may the kingdom of G.o.d go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O G.o.d, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, for ever and ever. Amen." (Doc. & Cov., Sec.
65:2-6.)
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:42.)
The following incidents were related by a member of the B.Y.U. Course and are typical of scores of others available for this lesson:
_Brother Hunter"s Account of the Manifestation of the Successor to the Prophet Joseph_
"There was a great deal of discussion among the brethren and sisters as to who should lead the Church; some thought it should be the Prophet"s son; some, one of his counselors, and some the President of the Quorum of the Twelve. I was at a loss to come to any conclusion.
It worried me considerably and I prayed earnestly that G.o.d would make known to me who it should be, but without avail.
"I went to the meeting that had been called and listened thoughtfully to what was said and done. The longer I listened the more mystified I became. I bowed my head in my hands and prayed for G.o.d to give me understanding. While I was in this att.i.tude, Brother Brigham arose to speak, I suppose. I heard a voice--the Prophet"s voice as natural and true as I ever heard it. I raised up quickly, fully expecting to see the Prophet, and I did. There he stood and there he spoke. I listened breathlessly. The form of the Prophet gradually changed to that of Brother Brigham, but the voice was not Brother Brigham"s. It was still the Prophet"s. Then beside Brother Brigham I saw the Prophet, who turned toward the speaker and smiled. My heart beat rapidly with joy and I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Brother Brigham was called of G.o.d to lead the Church."
_Brother Huntsman"s Baby Healed_
"A fine, plump baby girl had come to the Huntsman home. As weeks and months pa.s.sed and the child failed to use its lower limbs, a doctor was called and p.r.o.nounced the trouble infantile paralysis. He said that it would never walk, for experience had showed that whenever this affliction affected the lower part of the body the medical profession could not cure it.
"The Huntsman people were faithful Latter-day Saints and did not give up hope, but called in the Elders. After a time conference was held at Sh.e.l.ley and Elder David O. McKay and one other of the general Church authorities were in attendance--I don"t remember who. After the afternoon session the child was administered to. While sealing the anointing, Brother McKay promised the child the use of its limbs and every organ of the body.
"That night it began to move them, and the next morning stood alone by the aid of chairs. In a few days it walked, although being fairly fleshy. Soon after I moved away from Sh.e.l.ley, but a year or so afterwards I had occasion to go to Idaho Falls and there I met Brother and Sister Huntsman. The child was with them and ran and played as other children."
_A Psychology Student Receives Aid_
"A friend of mine who was a student in an eastern university told the following incident of how the Lord came to his aid.
"The psychology cla.s.s while studying the relationship of the brain to life and intelligence entered into a discussion as to the nature of intelligence, and in some way the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith were brought into the discussion and jeered at, by all members except my friend, who was a "Mormon." His defense brought forth ridicule and intensified the discussion.
"As the cla.s.s period had expired without completing the argument, a week from that day was the time set to complete it. Of course, my friend felt that he should do all possible to defend the att.i.tude of the Church, so he studied, fasted and prayed, to secure the aid of inspiration, for he well knew that nothing but scientific proof would be accepted.
"The day came and he realized that he was illy prepared, but still hoped for divine a.s.sistance. During the giving of evidence to dispose of the existence of intelligence separate from the workings of the brain, and ridiculing the existence of a spirit, he prayed silently and earnestly.
"His turn came and he arose to speak. After the opening sentences he glanced down on the paper for his evidence and found a strange handwriting there. He says a peculiar power took possession of him.
He spoke rapidly and fluently, he declared, without comprehending or at least remembering what he said. As he finished, his own writing was on the paper and he knew not what had been spoken, but there was no evidence offered to offset it.
"The professor asked him to give the names of the books from which he obtained his points, and on being told that G.o.d gave them to him, he replied, "It"s strange, but I can"t believe such nonsense.""
Under question III. "How should I pray?"
The Lord"s Prayer as a pattern.
The prayer in Gethsemane.
The Bee-Keeper"s prayer--1920, June number of _Young Woman"s Journal_.
"And again, 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." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 19:28.)
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark 11:24.)
"At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say unto you, that I will pray the Father for you." (John 16:26.)
Under question IV. "When should I pray?"
"He shall pray unto G.o.d, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness." (Job 33:26.)
"And now concerning the residue, let them journey and declare the world among the congregations of the wicked, inasmuch as it is given." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 61:33.)
"Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you: seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you;
"Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 88:63-64.)
"Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 61:39.)
"Therefore let the Church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 20:33.)
"Behold, I manifest unto you, Joseph Knight, by these words, that you must take up your cross, in the which you must pray vocally before the world as well as in secret, and in your family, and among your friends, and in all places." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 23:6.)
"Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
"Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him;
"Cry unto him when ye are in your fields; yea, over all your flocks;
"Cry unto him in your houses; yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day and evening;