Ezra Taft Benson, European Mission 1921-1923A missionary learns that he must be humble and dependent on the Lord. He learns to pray with fervor and sincerity, not only for himself but for others, and to be led and directed by the Spirit. (Ezra Taft Benson, "Our Commission to Take the Gospel to the World," Ensign, [May 1984]: 42).
The question will arise, what am I here for? To sow the seeds of life in the hearts of [the people of the world]; and the prayer should arise in the heart, “O Lord, may it be so; may I have power through thy Spirit to touch the hearts of these thy people.” That very short prayer is all that a missionary needs to make. “May I say something to save these souls.” (Lorenzo Snow, Improvement Era, [December 1899]: 129).
Recognize that there is a power greater than ours, that no matter how good a man is, he is not good enough, that no matter how wise he is, he is not wise enough, that no matter how strong he is, he is not strong enough for all of the things which he will face in life, and that there is a source of power to which he can go with the assurance that he will be listened to and that there will be a response. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Gifts to Bring Home from the Mission Field,” New Era, [March 2007]: 4).
My brethren, you are engaged in the work of God; you are in the harness; you receive to a great extent the Spirit of the Gospel because you are engaged in it exclusively. You are ministers of the everlasting covenant. You pray; you don’t forget your prayers, surely. An Elder cannot forget his prayers; he cannot forget the Lord; he will certainly remember Him if he is in the line of his duty. If he places himself in a position where he can accomplish the most good, he cannot forget the Lord morning, noon and night. He prays to the Lord, and humbles himself before Him and acknowledges Him. If you are in this line you are enjoying His Spirit. (Joseph F. Smith, “Discourse by President Joseph F. Smith,” Millennial Star, [25 October 1906]: 674).
Get into your hearts, young people, to prepare yourselves to go out into the world where you can get on your knees and draw nearer to the Lord than in any other labor. (Heber J. Grant, Improvement Era, [July 1936]: 396).
God commands us to pray to Him. You can pray at any time and in any setting. The Lord taught us to kneel and pray in the morning and evening, as individuals and with our families. Our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. Through daily prayer we receive divine guidance and blessings. We should always pray sincerely. We should always pray with “real intent,” which means we are committed to act on the answer we receive.
We pray with faith to our Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ (see Moses 5:8). Because He is our Father and we are His children, He will answer our prayers. We begin our prayers by addressing our Father in Heaven. We end our prayers by saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
In prayer we speak openly and honestly, with our loving Father in Heaven. We express gratitude and thanksgiving for our blessings. We may acknowledge our love for Him. We also ask for help, protection, and direction according to our needs.
As we pray with faith, sincerity, and real intent, we will see God’s influence in our lives. He will guide us in our daily lives and help us make good decisions. He will bless us with feelings of comfort and peace. He will warn us of danger and strengthen us to resist temptation. He will forgive our sins. We will feel closer to Him. We must learn to recognize His influence in our lives. We must learn to listen to the still, small voice of the Spirit. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 73).
They who go forth in the name of the Lord, trusting him with all their hearts, will never want for wisdom. . .to lead the people in the way of life and salvation. . . . Go in the name of the Lord, trust in the name of the Lord, lean upon the Lord, and call upon the Lord fervently and without ceasing, and pay no attention to the world. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, London: Latter-day Saints Book Depot, 1855-1886, 14 April 1867, 12:34).
You will be remembered in prayer this morning in hundreds of homes. People are praying for you, you know that. You can’t do less than your best when people are praying for you. Of course the work is not easy. It’s hard. . . .But He has given us the power, the power of our message, the power of our call, the power of our priesthood and of love for the people. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Boston Massachusetts Regional Conference Missionary Meeting, 23 April 1995).
Every morning. . .missionaries should get on their knees and plead with the Lord to loosen their tongues and speak through them the blessings of those they will be teaching. If they will do this, a new light will come into their lives. There will be greater enthusiasm for the work. They will come to know that in a very real sense, they are servants of the Lord speaking in His behalf. They will find a different response from those they teach. As they do so by the Spirit, their investigators will respond under the influence of the same Spirit. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Missionary Service,” First Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, 11 January 2003, p. 20).
Our missionaries after over a hundred years of experience have learned that no one is truly converted until he prays on his knees to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that the Church is indeed the Church of Jesus Christ on earth. And the four essentials that the missionaries teach to one who has never prayed before are: he first must thank; he next must ask; he must do it in the name of Jesus Christ; and then he must do it in the name of Jesus Christ; and then he must conclude it with amen. And with that simple instruction the beginning inquirer after truth is taught to pray. In praying, he is enjoined as the father said to his son, after listening to his son’s prayers, “Son, don’t give the Lord instructions. You just report for duty.” (Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974, p. 198).
Do not forget the Lord and He will not forget you, and you will have claim upon Him for the blessings you need. When you pray ask for what you need, without a multiplicity of words. We are never heard in our prayers for “much speaking.” Do not indulge in too much fun-making, in playing jokes, or unfriendly criticism. In fact, observe the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would like to done by”....
You are sent out to teach the truth and to live the truth. (Joseph F. Smith, From Prophet to Son: Advice of Joseph F. Smith to His Missionary Sons, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981, p. 109).
A missionary learns that God, our Heavenly Father, can and does answer prayers. He learns to recognize the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to be directed by that Spirit. He prays for his own welfare--to be humble and susceptible to the influence of the Holy Ghost--as well as for the people with whom he is laboring. Through these experiences of prayer and service, he learns to love the Lord with all his heart and to more fully love his fellow men. (Ezra Taft Benson, "Our Commission to Take the Gospel to the World," Ensign, [May 1984]: 43).
I remember the times my dear mother trusted in our Heavenly Father for my safety. I played quarterback at East High School and running back at the university. During all that time I don’t think my mother ever stopped praying for my safety. She trusted in our Father in Heaven, depending on Him to protect me from major injury during the games. Although I had my share of bumps and bruises, I never had a major injury.
I suppose my mother breathed a sigh of relief when I told her that I was going to leave the football field for a season. I met with my beloved bishop, Marion G. Romney, to express a desire to serve a full-time mission. But that short, worry-free session soon ended when I was called to serve in the German/Austria Mission. Three months after I arrived in Salzburg, the name of the mission was changed to the Switzerland/Austria Mission.
The year was 1937. I arrived in Salzburg, Austria, at the very time Hitler was amassing 300,000 troops on the border for the Anschluss, his invasion of Austria.
My mother and father gathered the family to kneel in prayer morning and night and pled for my safety. I know that I felt the influence of those prayers. I trusted my Heavenly Father would hear their prayers. I trusted in my prayers that He would preserve my life.
A month before Hitler invaded Austria, I was transferred to Switzerland. My testimony is that our prayers had been answered.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding,” we read in the scriptures. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Improving Our Prayers,” Brigham Young University 2002-2003 Speeches, Provo, UT.: Brigham Young University Publications; Graphics, 2003, pp. 162-163).
A man may fast and pray until he kills himself, and there isn't any necessity for it nor wisdom in it. I say to my brethren when they are fasting and praying for the sick, and for those that need faith and prayer, do not go beyond what is wise and prudent in fasting and prayer. The Lord can hear a simple prayer, offered in faith, in half a dozen words, and he will recognize fasting that may not continue for more than forty-eight hours, just as readily and effectually as he will answer a prayer of a thousand words and fasting for a month. (Joseph F. Smith, "Mission Regulations," in The Missionary's Handbook, Independence, Missouri: Zion's Printing and Publishing Co., 1937, p. 25).
The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries—we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, contemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997, p. 20).
There is one thing we all may do. We can join in serious, continuous petitions to our Father in Heaven to open the doors of nations and to soften the hearts of people to the extent that missionaries and each of us may be blessed to teach the gospel to all who need and want it. (Spencer W. Kimball, "Are We Doing All We Can?" Ensign, [February 1983]: 4).
We have discovered in the mission field in particular, and in other places also, a lack of proper teaching with reference to prayer. I know that I myself have been shocked out in the mission field as I have heard missionaries called on for prayer who seem to have had no experience or training whatever in the use of the language of prayer.
I do not know that it is a matter of vital importance, but I think, my brethren, that in the quorums and in the classes, you would do well, as in the homes also, to teach the language of prayer--"Thee and Thou," rather than "You". It always seems disappointing to me to have our Father in Heaven, our Lord, addressed as "You". It is surprising how much we see of this in the mission field among the young men who come to serve there. I think you might make not of it, and avail yourselves of any opportunities that may come in order to teach the sacred and reverential language of prayer. (Stephen L. Richards, Conference Report, October 1951, p. 175).
If there should be an inquirer desirous of knowing how it is that our Elders go forth and preach what is called Mormonism, but which we call the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as they do year after year, they can find the reason for this and for the strength, endurance and patience which are displayed, in the testimony that has been borne unto us this afternoon. It is because God gives unto His faithful servants a testimony concerning the truth. When men go forth as bearers of this message, and live as they should do—-humbling themselves before the Lord, putting their trust in Him, bringing their sorrows to Him, laying bare their hearts before Him in humble prayer, and depending upon Him for the strength and assistance that they need, they receive a testimony that God hears their prayers, that they are accepted of God and His chosen servants. And we can send our Elders out by hundreds, with perfect confidence to meet all hardships, the privations and the afflictions through which they may have to pass because of their advocacy of so unpopular a religion as that which the Lord has given unto us to declare to the nations of the earth. (George Q. Cannon, Salt Lake Tabernacle, 20 October 1889).
We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation. (Dallin H. Oaks, “Our Strengths Can Become our Downfalls,” Ensign, [October 1994]: 13-14).
Begin your planning session with prayer. Seek inspiration as you discuss the needs of people and plan how to serve them and help them progress in the gospel. Pray specifically for your investigators. Have the faith to ask Heavenly Father to bless them with answers to their prayers, with a desire to attend church, and so forth. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, pp. 147).
Strive to pray sincerely, with real intent, and with “all the energy of heart” (Moroni 7:48). Effective prayer requires great effort (see Moroni 10:3-4; D&C 8:10; 9:7). Give serious thought to your attitude and to the words you use. Consider the following when you pray:
· Use the language of prayer, which shows that you love and respect your Heavenly Father. Use proper and respectful language in whatever language you speak. For example, in English use scriptural pronouns such as Thee, Thou, Thy, and Thine.
· Always express gratitude for your blessings. A conscious effort to be grateful will help you recognize how merciful the Lord has been in your life.
· Pray specifically for the guidance and help of the Holy Ghost. Show that you value this blessing by being sensitive to and aware of spiritual promptings. Then courageously follow those promptings.
· Pray with love and charity. Pray for people by name. Ask for inspiration to help you understand and meet their needs. Pray for the welfare of contacts, investigators, new converts, and less-active members. Pray for the members and priesthood and auxiliary leaders in your area. Pray for your companion, other missionaries, and your mission president. Pray to know how you can help others, and then be willing to sacrifice in their behalf.
· Pray that you will be shown where to go and what to do. Pray that you will be led to those who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. Pray that you will recognize them.
· Recognize that your Heavenly Father knows what you need better than you do. Rely on the Spirit to know what to pray for (see 1 Nephi 1(:24; D&C 46:28, 30).
· In your prayers at night, give the Lord an accounting of your day’s activities. Then review with Him your plan for the next day. Listen for the promptings of the Spirit.
· Pray to overcome temptation. Yielding to temptation interferes with the Spirit.
· Pray and, when appropriate, fast for special blessings.
· Pray about and ponder the scriptures. The scriptures open the window to revelation.
Believe that God will answer your prayers. Recognize that God’s thoughts are not your thoughts (see Isaiah 55:8-9), and trust God to answer your prayers in His own way and in His own time. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, pp. 94-95).
This work that we now witness has been accomplished by men of this character, to whom there is no glory to be ascribed. It is all due to God, to the outpouring of his Spirit in answer to prayer, and in conformity with the promises that He has made. We send out yearly scores,; and perhaps hundred of missionaries; boys in many instances, who have never had any experience in public life or in public speaking; but where they have gone filled with the spirit of their missions, they have found honest souls willing to listen to their testimony. They have said to the, if you do that which God says, you shall know for yourselves that this is true. They have told the people to believe in Jesus, to repent of their sins, to be baptized, and they should receive the Holy Ghost. When people have believed this, they have gone and been baptized; and they have received that Spirit; and when they have received it, it has made them one. (George Q. Cannon, Salt Lake Stake Conference, 4 September 1892).
As you pray personally and in your companionship, seek inspiration on what you should do each day. As you follow your plans, pray and ask the Lord for guidance. Have a prayer in your heart throughout the day that the Spirit will help you know where to go, what to do, and what to say. Ask yourself, “What more can I do?” In your prayers at the end of the day, give an accounting of your work. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 151).
Your greatest help will come from the Lord Himself as you supplicate and plead with Him in humble prayer. As you are driven to your knees again and again, asking Him for divine help in your mission, you will feel the Spirit, you will get your answer from above, your mission will prosper spiritually because of your dependence and your reliance on Him. (Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents’ Seminar, Salt Lake City, Utah, 25 June 1986).
This work that we now witness has been accomplished by men of this character, to whom there is no glory to be ascribed. It is all due to God, to the outpouring of his Spirit in answer to prayer, and in conformity with the promises that He has made. We send out yearly scores,; and perhaps hundred of missionaries; boys in many instances, who have never had any experience in public life or in public speaking; but where they have gone filled with the spirit of their missions, they have found honest souls willing to listen to their testimony. They have said to the, if you do that which God says, you shall know for yourselves that this is true. They have told the people to believe in Jesus, to repent of their sins, to be baptized, and they should receive the Holy Ghost. When people have believed this, they have gone and been baptized; and they have received that Spirit; and when they have received it, it has made them one. (George Q. Cannon, Salt Lake Stake Conference, 4 September 1892).
f prayer is only a spasmodic cry at the time of crisis, then it is utterly selfish, and we come to think of God as a repairman or a service agency to help us only in our emergencies. We should remember the Most High day and night—-always-—not only in times when all other assistance has failed and we desperately need help. (Howard W. Hunter, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997, p. 39).
The modern day challenging and testifying missionary prays every morning to "lead me this day to a family that I can fulfill my purpose." (Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents’ Seminar, Salt Lake City, Utah, 25 June 1986).
The missionary is entitled to inspiration in choosing his personal goals; and when he has sought the Lord through prayer and meditation, he will be motivated best by those goals he selects himself and commits himself to attain. (Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents’ Seminar, Salt Lake City, Utah, 27 June 1974).
We pray every day that governments of countries which are now closed to our missionaries will open their gates to make it possible for us to teach them the gospel, which alone will bring full understanding of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. We want to explain how they can return to live with God, their Father, and be reunited with their families, and eventually live eternally as one great family. (N. Eldon Tanner, CR A'77, Ensign, [May 1977]: 47-48).
I am grateful for young missionary this year whom I met in the mission field. He told me of an incident that happened just a few days before. He said, "Brother Kirkham, I had a rather interesting experience just the other day. My companion and I were going out tracting. We had been instructed always to be prayerful as we approached a house, and when I came to the door the woman said to me, `I understand you are a Mormon missionary. Well, I don't want anything to do with you. I know something of your people. You're just a menace. Leave this place.' Then," said the young missionary, "I had been told to be prayerful, so I continued in my heart to pray as I stood listening to what she had to say. The woman continued telling me what she thought of me and our people, and asked me again to leave. I continued to pray. In a few moments she turned abruptly and said, `Well, why don't you come in?'" Thank God for the stability of the generation that's marching on to the greatest destining of our people. (Oscar A. Kirkham, Conference Report, April 1948, p. 96).
Your greatest help will come from the Lord Himself as you supplicate and plead with Him in humble prayer. As you are driven to your knees again and again, asking Him for divine help in your mission, you will feel the Spirit, you will get your answer from above, your mission will prosper spiritually because of your dependence and your reliance on Him. (Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents’ Seminar, Salt Lake City, Utah, 25 June 1986).
I always remember two young men who served in my mission. One was a superstar. He was educated. He was bright. He was quick. He was a little arrogant. We had another who was a sign painter. He came from a sign shop with very little education, but he knew his inadequacies and he relied on the Lord. When he prayed, you knew he was talking with the Lord. It wasn’t a rote thing, it was a conversation and that young man accomplished wonders while the other young man went through the motions. The power that was in the one and the absence of the power in the other was apparent. Call upon the Lord. He has extended the invitation, and He will answer. Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997, p. 469).
Our Lord teaches us that there are evil spirits that cannot be overcome except by those whose spiritual life and faith are made strong by self-denial and communion with God. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that the servants of the Lord should fast and pray. Through the fasting and prayer of the servants of the Lord, the mouth of Alma was opened, and his limbs strengthened. [Mosiah 27:22-23] Through fasting and prayer the Nephites "did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ" (Helaman 3:35).
Fasting has in all ages been an outward sign of sorrow and mourning. When the heart is full of grief, the body does not crave for food as usual. When calamities sweep over a country, or when sinners are awakened to a realization of their condition, abstinence from all pleasures, including those of the table, is natural to all who take things seriously. The Elders, however, are not required to fast as a sign of mourning alone, but as one of rejoicing. This is just as natural. For when the heart is filled with joy, the craving for food is forgotten for long periods, as they know who have attended meetings, lasting for many hours, where the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon the assembly. (Hyrum M. Smith and Jane Sjodahl, The Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1974, p. 555).
The missionary is entitled to inspiration in choosing his personal goals; and when he has sought the Lord through prayer and meditation, he will be motivated best by those goals he selects himself and commits himself to attain. (Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents’ Seminar, Salt Lake City, Utah, 27 June 1974).
As you pray for inspiration, you should also confirm your feelings. For example, compare your decisions with the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets. Be certain that the feelings are consistent with the assignment you have; for example, you will not receive revelation to tell a local bishop how he should perform in his calling. Discuss your decisions and conclusions with your companion, your district leader, or your mission president when appropriate. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 98).
Everybody in this Church loves the missionaries. There never will be a time in your life when you have people praying for you the way they pray for you now. In homes all across the world, families get on their knees and pray for the missionaries who are out in the field, out across the world doing the Lord’s work. Thank you for all you do. (Preach my Gospel: A guide to missionary service. Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 47).
