The Prayer of Faith

As Alma rejoiced in the missionary success of the sons of Mosiah, he wrote this: “And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me” (Alma 29:10). I was touched by his personal witness that God heard his prayers and had been merciful to him. Seeing the blessings of the Lord come to others had helped him remember the mercy that the Lord had showed him in his life. I know that indeed the Lord does hear our sincere prayers, and when we seek His help He extends His merciful arm towards us. There are many ways we might describe how to pray. Meaningful prayers will often contain expressions of thanks, heartfelt requests for blessings, and be spoken in humble, respectful language. Prayers can be spoken out loud or in our minds, and they can be private and in groups. We may kneel for prayers or we may be sitting or standing. Prayers can be long or they might be very short. But none of that is what matters the most. I believe there is a single word that can sum up how the Lord wants us to pray: faith. That is the most important ingredient to our prayers. When we pray in faith, I know that He hears and answers us. He said this: “And it is my will that you shall humble yourselves before me, and obtain this blessing by your diligence and humility and the prayer of faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 104:79). We obtain blessings from the Lord through the prayer of faith.

               Several other scriptures highlight the need for faith when we pray. An angel said this to Alma (the Younger) about his father: “Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith” (Mosiah 27:14). Alma (the Elder)’s prayers were answered because he prayed with much faith. Towards the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni reflected on the prayers of all the Nephite prophets who had gone before him. He wrote, “And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ” (Mormon 9:37). The Lord in our dispensation indeed recognized that faith that these Nephite prophets had: “And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers; Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions. Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:47-49). The Lord honored the faith with which these Nephite prophets had prayed many centuries before. He also taught us, “And, as it is written—Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:6). When we ask in faith through prayer, He promises that we will receive. Perhaps that won’t always be exactly what we desire, but He will hear an answer us. The great gift of the Spirit comes to us through this prayer of faith: “And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:14). I love this declaration from the Lord: “All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 103:36). We can have victory in all our challenges through our diligence and prayer of faith.