Prayer is how we communicate with God. It is also how He sometimes communicates with us. He has commanded us to pray. What follows can help you learn how to pray.

Prayer Has Four Simple Steps

A prayer has four simple steps. They are evident in the Lord's prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13:

Address Heavenly Father Thank Him for blessings Ask Him for blessings Close in the name of Jesus Christ.

Prayer can be said in one's mind or out loud. Praying aloud can sometimes focus one's thoughts. Prayers can be uttered at any time. For meaningful prayer, it is best to seek a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.

Step 1: Address Heavenly Father

We open the prayer by addressing God because he is the one we are praying to. Start by saying "Father in Heaven" or "Heavenly Father."

We address Him as our Heavenly Father, because He is the father of our spirits. He is our creator and the one to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives.

Step 2: Thank Heavenly Father

After opening the prayer we tell our Father in Heaven what we are thankful for. You can start by saying, "I thank thee..." or "I am grateful for...." We show our gratitude to our Father by telling him in our prayer what we are thankful for; such as our home, family, health, the earth and other blessings.

Be sure to include general blessings such as health and safety, along with specific blessings like divine protection while on a particular trip.

Step 3: Ask Heavenly Father

After thanking our Father in Heaven we can ask him for help. Some of the ways you can do this is to say:

"I ask thee..."

"I need..."

"Please help me..."

We can ask him to bless us with the things we need, such as knowledge, comfort, guidance, peace, health, etc.

Remember, we are more apt to get answers and blessings if we request the strength necessary to withstand life's challenges, rather than asking for the challenges to be removed.

Step 4: Close in the Name of Jesus Christ

We close the prayer by saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." We do this because Jesus is our Savior, our mediator between death (physical and spiritual) and eternal life. We also close with saying Amen because it means we accept or agree with what's been said.

A simple prayer could be this:

Dear Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for thy guidance in my life. I am especially thankful for my safe travel as I shopped today. As I try and keep thy commandments, please help me to always remember to pray. Please help me to read the scriptures daily. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Praying in a Group

When praying with a group of people only the person saying the prayer speaks. The person praying should say the prayer in the plural such as, "We thank thee," and "We ask thee."

At the end, when the person says amen, the rest of the group says amen as well. This shows our agreement or acceptance of what they have prayed for.

Pray Always, With Sincerity and With Faith in Christ

Jesus Christ taught us to pray always. He also taught us to pray with sincerity and avoid vain repetitions. We must pray with faith that does not waver and with real intent.

One of the most important things we should pray for is to know the truth about God and his plan for us.

Prayers Will Always Be Answered

Prayers can be answered in multiple ways, sometimes as feelings through the Holy Ghost or thoughts that come into our minds.

Sometimes feelings of peace or warmth enter our hearts as we read the scriptures. Events we experience can also be answers to our prayers.

Preparing ourselves for personal revelation will also help us in receiving answers to prayers. God loves us and is our Father in Heaven. He hears and answers prayers.

Updated by Krista Cook.