The words of Henry B. Eyring about prayer in the Face to Face event a few weeks ago deeply touched my heart. Initially, I was surprised
by his insistence that most prayers need to be formal. He described how very seriously
he approaches the throne of God. I compared Eyring’s description of prayer with
the casual and obligatory attitude with which I’d been praying.
I certainly wasn’t approaching God with the
same reverence fit for the God of all Creation that President Eyring was describing.
That night, I prepared to pray, to focus and to remember the
Greatness of God as I prayed. I sought to feel His spirit in each phrase I
uttered. Let me tell you, wow, I felt the love of our Heavenly Parents with a
new level of peaceful intensity. Since then, I’ve been trying to approach God with more
deference in all my prayers. This effort has resulted in a spiritual
awakening, a much needed lift that has restored my sense of purpose.
Shortly after this particular Face to Face event, I went to
a women’s revival at a church called Garden of Praise Christian Fellowship in
Carson, California. The service was like a celebration to God. They sang and
shouted, then they brought the volume down low just to build it back up again.
What a thrill. I clapped along and more clearly understood why so many singers
on the Voice get their start in church. The vocalists were amazing. While I
adored being there with my sisters in Christ and will surely go back to worship
with these lovely women, I am still convinced that the changing of our hearts
happens in the quiet moments of contemplation and reverencing ourselves before
our maker.
There is something soul changing when we feel His spirit as we kneel
in faith before Him and know He cares and is listening and waiting to provide
us with all we need for our character and soul to reach their potential. Both
the loud celebration and the quiet introspection have their purpose and place.
We are all searching for further light and knowledge, whether
we’re religious or not. We each choose the path we think is best for our growth and happiness. Whatever
path we choose, kneeling before our maker, reverencing ourselves to The Power
that allows us to love, acknowledging the greatness of our miraculous universe,
earth and existence, CHANGES our souls. If you do this practice morning and
night, if only as an exercise in gratitude and intention, your well-being will
improve.
