Mormons believe that prayer is one of the greatest blessings God has given man. It is believed that we are all children of a loving Father in Heaven who knows each of us personally and knows our needs. Through sincere prayer on a daily basis, one can communicate gratitude, strength to resist temptation and seek guidance in life's challenges.
Jesus Prayer
The commandment to pray is not new; Adam and Eve were commanded to pray and to "call upon God in the name of the Son".1 This commandment has never been taken from the earth. As one makes prayer a part of their life, God draws nearer to them. The influence of God is felt in every day life and in turn the desire to be more like God and the Savior becomes imperative in one's life.

Heavenly Father has given us all that we possess; expressing love and gratitude to Him will automatically help us to feel closer to Him. Praying to stay on the right path is essential – only God can help us in a world that is riddled with sexual permissiveness and wickedness.

Prayer should be done whenever we feel the need to communicate with God, whether silently or vocally. Mormons have been counseled to pray privately morning and night, to have family prayers and pray before meals, and any other time that is needed; i.e. praying for safety while driving, during an activity, working, walking down the street, etc. We should not pray just when we feel like it. There may be times that anger and discouragement engulfs a person or when one may feel that he is not worthy to pray. These are tools of Satan; he wants to convince us to not pray, that we are unworthy to pray to God. The counsel given is 'to pray until you feel like praying'.2

Members have been counseled to listen, before, during and after praying. Mormons do believe that Prayer is a two-way communication and listening is a vital part in prayers being answered. God will counsel, guide and comfort, but we have a responsibility to listen without distractions. After praying, stay on your knees and listen with your heart as well as your mind. Answers may come right away and maybe not for some time. Sometimes He may answer yes, sometimes He may answer no, and sometimes He may indicate 'wait a while'. Whatever the answer, Heavenly Father does answer all prayers. He may not answer in the way that we want or expect, but He does give us answers in His own time because He knows us best.

One must also remember that prayers are answered in various ways. Sometimes a warm feeling may come to us, other times they may be answered through family members or friends.

As one continues to pray and draw closer to God, the answers to prayers will be more recognizable because of the closeness that is felt with Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.