We ought to always have a prayer in our heart.
But there is something about saying the words--and for me,
saying them out loud.
There are many lessons that come out of the Sacred Grove
experience-- not the least is the opposition
that Joseph faced before the great, revelatory moment
of the Father and the Son.
Joseph said that he exerted all his power,
took everything that he had.
So, there's a pretty good lesson in that for all of us about
muscular prayer--urgent, determined prayer--to fight
through, whether it's the adversary's opposition
or the cares of the day or the distractions of our mind.
I think one of the lessons that I
get from that is the reminder to me
personally that I need to say the words.
Prayer is an expression of the heart,
and we can pray silently.
We ought to pray silently.
We ought to always have a prayer in our heart.
But there is something about saying the words--and for me,
saying them out loud.
And so, I'm reminded to not get by on the cheap, if you will,
about prayer.
We need to carve out time--good time,
high-priority time--when we can say the words.
Kneel where possible, be vocal, be out loud,
and really have that communication.
Individuals who might wait for their evening prayer
until 11:30, and they're exhausted,
and the day has taken its toll, and we
get a kind of a half-hearted prayer
out before we tumble into bed.
I'd say move that prayer up when we're alert and attentive
and can think about it and be powerful.
This ought to be high-priority expression.
Just managing our life a little better, I think,
can lead to that kind of vocal communication with the Lord.