“As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but they are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.” -Bible Dictionary, “Prayer”
"Prayer is a supernal gift of our Father in Heaven to every soul. Think of it: the absolute Supreme Being, the most all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful personage, encourages you and me, as insignificant as we are, to converse with Him as our Father. Actually, because He knows how desperately we need His guidance, He commands, “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.
It matters not our circumstance, be we humble or arrogant, poor or rich, free or enslaved, learned or ignorant, loved or forsaken, we can address Him. We need no appointment. Our supplication can be brief or can occupy all the time needed. It can be an extended expression of love and gratitude or an urgent plea for help. He has created numberless cosmos and populated them with worlds, yet you and I can talk with Him personally, and He will ever answer . . .
Don’t worry about your clumsily expressed feelings. Just talk to your compassionate, understanding Father. You are His precious child whom He loves perfectly and wants to help. As you pray, recognize that Father in Heaven is near and He is listening.
A key to improved prayer is to learn to ask the right questions. Consider changing from asking for the things you want to honestly seeking what He wants for you. Then as you learn His will, pray that you will be led to have the strength to fulfill it.
Should you ever feel distanced from our Father, it could be for many reasons. Whatever the cause, as you continue to plead for help, He will guide you to do that which will restore your confidence that He is near. Pray even when you have no desire to pray. Sometimes, like a child, you may misbehave and feel you cannot approach your Father with a problem. That is when you most need to pray. Never feel you are too unworthy to pray." -Richard G. Scott, "Using the Supernatural Gift of Prayer", May 2007 Ensign
Prayer is evidence of God's love for us. He does not expect us to do this life on our own. He expects us to come to Him and seek His help. Not only does He command us to do this, but He wants us to because He loves us.
Praying can be intimidating at times because it feels like there are so many rules we have to observe. Of course, we want to be respectful to our Father in Heaven and we should try to follow the patterns of prayer which we have been taught, but when it comes down to it I think the most important thing is doing what Elder Scott counsels us to do: "Don’t worry about your clumsily expressed feelings. Just talk to your compassionate, understanding Father." Sometimes I think it is best to just forget every rule and to talk to Heavenly Father as if He were your Dad, because He is. Say what you feel. Don't just list of things you're grateful for and things you need. Actually talk with Him. Tell Him something funny that happened to you that day. Talk to Him about challenges you are facing. Tell Him the sort of things you would tell any close, dear friend. Does He already know everything which we are going to tell Him? Of course He does. The important part isn't filling Him in; the important part is letting Him know that He's important enough to you that you want to talk to Him and include Him in your life. You want to share things with Him. You want His advise. You want to show your love for Him. Pray to Heavenly Father as if He were a real person, because He is.
He misses us, and whether or not we realize it, we miss Him. Get down, and truly pray. It can make all the difference.
