Feeling the Love of the Lord through Prayer

Prayerfully select and read from this message the scriptures and teachings that meet the needs of the sisters you visit. Share your experiences and testimony. Invite those you teach to do the same.

In What Ways Have You Felt the Love of the Lord through Prayer?

D&C 19:38: “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing.”

Kathleen H. Hughes, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: “One of the most sublime experiences is to feel in prayer the warmth of the Spirit—a clear manifestation to us that Heavenly Father hears us and loves us. Equally sweet is the recognition as we go about the activities of our lives that a prayer has been answered, that we have experienced a miracle in our lives. Once again we have received a manifestation of His love for us.”

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985): “Learning the language of prayer is a joyous, lifetime experience. Sometimes ideas flood our mind as we listen after our prayers. Sometimes feelings press upon us. A spirit of calmness assures us that all will be well. But always, if we have been honest and earnest, we will experience a good feeling—a feeling of warmth for our Father in Heaven and a sense of his love for us. I have felt sorrow because some of us have not learned the meaning of that calm, spiritual warmth, for it is a witness to us that our prayers have been heard. And since our Father in Heaven loves us with more love than we have even for ourselves, it means that we can trust in his goodness, we can trust in him; it means that if we continue praying and living as we should, our Father’s hand will guide and bless us” (“Pray Always,” Tambuli, Mar. 1982, 5; see Ensign, Oct. 1981, 5).

How Can You Improve Your Prayers to Better Feel the Love of the Lord?

Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “If you … begin to do what you covenanted with God to do, I can promise you that you will feel more love for God and more of His love for you. And with that, your prayers will come from the heart, full of thanks and of pleading. You will feel a greater dependence on God. … You will pray always. And you will not forget Him. … He loves us. He hears our prayers, and He answers with what is best for us. As we come to know Him through His words and in His service, we will love Him more” (“Prayer,” Liahona, Jan. 2002, 19; Ensign, Nov. 2001, 17).

Moroni 7:48: “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.”

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love” (“Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure,” Ensign, May 1998, 77).

Detail from Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann

Photograph by Christina Smith