Ye Must Pray Always

Throughout my life, I've not been the most consistent saint when it comes praying always. I do believe one of the most powerful sermons in scripture on prayer is 2 Nephi 32, from whence the title of this post comes. It contains some very plain and clear instructions--yet those words, while plain and clear are also very deep and profound--at least to me.

I find if I am losing my spiritual bearings it is almost invariably linked to a lack of serious and consistent prayer. Nephi marveled and mourned because of unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

I find myself in this category all too often. Yet, as Nephi points out, the answer is very, very simple if we but search for it. The answer is prayer. And while in one sense the answer is very simple, at the same time it is also very difficult to put into practice. Why? Because the very forces of evil (which I believe are very real) teach us that we should not pray. And, if we do not pray, we will not be in tune with the Spirit, which is the Spirit that can and will show unto us all things what we should do.

So, as I go about my every day real world life; as I become careful and troubled about the many things in my life, I need to remember to pray always, feast on the words of Christ, and search knowledge. If I do these plain and simple tasks, the promises are indeed great: I will know all things that I should do.