2 Nephi 32:8–9

“Ye Must Pray Always”

One of the most basic commandments we have is to pray to Heavenly Father. But many things can get in the way of us praying. Nephi reminded the people of the importance of prayer and the blessings that come from regular communication with our Heavenly Father. This lesson can help you increase your desire to communicate with your Heavenly Father through prayer.

Assessing students’ knowledge. Each student has varying degrees of understanding of gospel topics. Inviting students to share what they already know can help you choose what parts of the lesson students need to spend time on.

Student preparation: Consider inviting students to notice how often they pray and why.

Possible Learning Activities

When do you pray?

Consider beginning with the following activity to help students think of why and when they pray.

You may want to write the following statement on the board: I pray when …

Think of multiple ways you could accurately complete the following statement: I pray when …

It may be effective to invite students to complete the statement anonymously on small pieces of paper that you could gather up and read aloud.

If possible, watch the video “I Pray When …” (1:56) to see how some people completed the statement. The video is available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Take a moment to ponder how often you pray to Heavenly Father and why you pray. As you continue your study, ponder how Heavenly Father has blessed you because of your prayers, as well as any ways you feel He may want you to improve your communication with Him.

Nephi’s teachings on prayer

After Nephi taught his people to stay on the strait and narrow path leading to eternal life and to feast upon the words of Christ (see 2 Nephi 31:19–20; 32:1–3), he taught how they could know the truthfulness of His words.

Read Nephi’s words in 2 Nephi 32:4, 7.

• What were some of the people of Nephi not willing to do?

• Why do you think this would discourage Nephi?

Nephi then continued to teach about the importance of prayer.

Read 2 Nephi 32:8–9, looking for what Nephi taught about prayer.

2 Nephi 32:8–9 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily. You will have an opportunity in the next lesson to practice applying the doctrine taught in this passage to a question or situation.

• What truths did you find?

Encourage several students to share. As they share truths, write them on the board or allow students to write them on the board. The following are some truths students may identify:

Some of the truths Nephi taught include:

• If we pray always, Heavenly Father will consecrate our effort for the welfare of our souls.

• Heavenly Father wants us to pray.

• Satan does not want us to pray.

• We must pray always.

Communicating with Heavenly Father

Consider what students have already shared about prayer and then determine which of the following activities may be most helpful. Or you could provide students with the following handout and invite them to complete one or two activities that they feel would best help them.

Students could work alone or with a classmate. If they work together, they could present their findings together.

Learning More about Prayer

Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)—“2 Nephi 32:8–9: ‘Ye Must Pray Always”’

Activity A

What are some reasons Heavenly Father wants us to pray while Satan tempts us not to?

• What are some ways Satan may tempt us not to pray?

One of the ways Satan may “teacheth [us] that [we] must not pray” is by trying to convince us of the lie that because we have sinned, we are no longer worthy to pray.

Ponder what blessings Satan may be trying to prevent us from receiving as you do the following:

• Spend some time studying about prayer. You could look up prayer in the Bible Dictionary or Guide to the Scriptures, search Gospel Topics, or look for general conference talks that talk about prayer. As you study, look for the blessings of prayer. You may also want to think of blessings you have experienced from prayer in your life. Based on your study and experiences, ponder why Heavenly Father wants us to pray and why Satan tempts us not to.

If possible, look for additional reasons as you watch “God Wants You to Pray” (3:28), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, a video about Kayla’s experience with praying while dealing with challenges.

Write down at least two truths you learned about prayer. Include why you think Heavenly Father wants us to pray and Satan tempts us not to.

Activity B

What does it mean to pray always?

Consider marking the phrase “pray always, and not faint” (2 Nephi 32:9).

Read Alma 34:21, 27, looking for insights into what it could mean to pray always.

• Why would praying “morning, mid-day, and evening” (Alma 34:21) be a blessing?

• How could we turn our hearts to God, even when we are not praying?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave one example of what it could mean to pray always:

Counsel with Heavenly Father in morning prayer. …

During the course of the day, we keep a prayer in our heart for continued assistance and guidance. …

At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer. (David A. Bednar, “Pray Always,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 41–42)

Write in your own words what you think it means to pray always.

Activity C

How will Heavenly Father consecrate our efforts for the welfare, or benefit, of our soul?

Nephi instructed “ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that [it] may be for the welfare of thy soul” (2 Nephi 32:9). To consecrate means to make sacred or dedicate.

Think of at least one example where Heavenly Father blessed someone as they prayed and strived to do what He wanted. This could be a personal experience, a modern-day example, or you could find an account in the scriptures (use the Topical Guide, Index, or Guide to the Scriptures to locate an example if needed).

Write down the example and what it taught you about how Heavenly Father will bless our efforts to accomplish His will as we pray.

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Some examples students might think of for Activity C include Nephi praying and his bands being loosed (see 1 Nephi 7:16–19) and Lehi praying for guidance to help Nephi obtain food for their family (see 1 Nephi 16:21–26, 30–32).

Invite multiple students to share what they learned from the activities they completed. Doing so will allow students to learn from their peers’ experiences. Students can also share any questions they have. If they do so, invite other students to use what they studied and their own experience to help answer the questions.

What I want to remember

Reflect on what you learned today. Consider writing down what you would like to remember or do as a result. For example, you may want to increase how often you pray, strive to recognize how the Lord will bless you as you pray and act, or strive to overcome any temptations you feel not to pray.

If you feel it is appropriate, consider inviting students to pause and pray silently, applying what they have thought about regarding prayer.

Commentary and Background Information

Why is prayer so important?

Elder José A. Teixeira of the Quorum of the Seventy stated:

We live in a time when with a single touch or voice command, we can begin searching for answers on almost any topic in the immensity of data stored and organized in a vast and complex network of computers.

On the other hand, we have the simplicity of the invitation to begin seeking answers from heaven. “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you.” Then the Lord promises, “And great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth” [Doctrine and Covenants 19:38].

God is fully aware of each one of us and ready to listen to our prayers. When we remember to pray, we find His sustaining love, and the more we pray to our Father in Heaven in Christ’s name, the more we bring the Savior into our life and the better we will recognize the path He has marked to our heavenly home. (José A. Teixeira, “Remember Your Way Back Home,” Liahona, May 2021, 93)

What can I do to make prayers more meaningful and effective?

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:

Praying for justice, peace, the poor, and the sick is often not enough. After we kneel in prayer, we need to get up from our knees and do what we can to help—to help both ourselves and others. (M. Russell Ballard, “Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 78–79)

In the talk “Pray Always” Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught three principles to strengthen our communication with Heavenly Father.

The article “Idea List: Pray with Power” (New Era, Aug. 2006) provides suggestions on how to help your prayers to Heavenly Father be more meaningful.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Steps to prayer

If students need help learning how to say a prayer, consider inviting them to read the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9–13. To help students identify important elements of prayer, invite them to review President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Lessons from the Lord’s Prayer” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2009). Encourage them to think about how they can apply these things in their own prayers.

Study a general conference talk

Invite different groups of students to each read one of the three principles of Elder David A. Bednar’s talk “Pray Always.” Students could then report what they learned and how it may help them pray always.

Temptations not to pray

Students could brainstorm ways and reasons Satan may try to tempt a teenager not to pray. They could then search the scriptures for truths that may help a teenager overcome these temptations.