I’m not the best at prayer, nor the most consistent. Realizing that I can actually speak with God, my eternal Father in Heaven, is sometimes hard to comprehend. Though I don’t pray as often as I would like, I find the prayers I do offer are answered. God is real. He hears our pleas, and knows each of our desires. Prayer is the conduit through which our voices can reach heaven.
“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. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship.” -LDS Bible Dictionary, 752
Through prayer, we can know God’s plan for our lives. The more we communicate with Him, the deeper our relationship with Him grows. Every church I attended before joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emphasized developing a relationship with God and Jesus, but they never explained exactly how that was done. The answer is prayer.
“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 that are made conditional on our asking for them.” -LDS Bible Dictionary, 753
It does not matter to what faith we belong. God is the same. We are each His children. He doesn’t listen to one faith more than another. He loves everyone equally, and desires for us to know Him.
When I pray I know that God is listening, and that He hears me. He answers me personally every time. Sometimes I don’t even see it until after the fact. It’s a beautifully uplifting experience to have a prayer answered, or even being an answer to someone else’s prayer.
“God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as he always has. But he can’t if you don’t pray, and he can’t if you don’t dream. In short, he can’t if you don’t believe.” -Jeffrey R. Holland
The Latter-day Life 