Prayer CPR!

I'm not sure how long ago it was, but I heard a statement that really stuck with me. When talking about how he can tell if a person is doing well spiritually he asks, "How are your prayers?" This can be interpreted in many different ways, but these are the ways that I thought of. Are you praying frequently, or at all? Are you sincere in your prayers, or do you just say them to check it off the list? Are you building a relationship with a Heavenly Father that loves you and wants have a relationship with you?

The first question was an easy one for me. I'm a missionary and if I don't say TONS of prayers a day, then it probably wasn't a good day. So I am definitely saying my prayers. But that second question I wasn't doing so well with, maybe in part because I was saying so many prayers. And the third question helped me to realized that I didn't really feel anything, even when I was sincere in my thanks and desires. Since that time I have really worked on doing "CPR" for my personal prayers.

Consistency
Peculiarity
Revelation

Consistency- The first part to helping your prayers out is to pray! Just like we would like to hear from the people we love often, our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us all the time.

Peculiarity- Some of the most sincere prayers I have heard have been from people who prayed out loud for the first time. They say things that you wouldn't normally hear in a prayer, but they are 100% sincere. In high school I would come home and my mom would ask me about my day. We would talk about it, and even though I did mostly the same thing every day, we always had new things to talk about. We would laugh about some things, and seriously discuss others. In our prayers, we should look for the things that are different from our "normal routine," and then be specific about the things we say.

Revelation- Our prayers aren't complete if we aren't receiving answers back. Going back to my conversations with my mom, I didn't just list all the things that happened to me that day. I would bring something up and we would discuss it. We can do the exact same thing with Heavenly Father. When we bring something up we are sincere about, ponder on it, and receive our answer from Heavenly Father, it strengthens that relationship. We can more fully feel the love he has for us.

These are some easy ways for me to remember what my prayers should be like. I would encourage you to adapt and change them so that they work for you. There is nothing better than kneeling down at night and sincerely asking questions and getting answers. I know Heavenly Father does answer our prayers