How to Pray

How To Pray?
I don't know.

But I'm learning about the process.

First I'm learning that it is nice to pray for what we want. That the Lord will ALWAYS listen to our prayers.  We will often feel peace through prayer no matter what we are asking for, and that He is always there. But, I'm learning that His design is not to give us what we want.

I'm learning that if you want your prayers to be granted that you have to find out what the Lord wants.
How?  You have to ask Him what He wants.
So now I don't pray for things. It's more like a question session.  Kind of like Nephi when he spoke to the angel in his vision and the angel asks if he knows the answers to a lot of different questions.  His response is something like- I do not know all things,  but I DO KNOW that the Lord loves his children.
I find myself declaring the utmost desires of my heart (I want to do the right thing, to follow His plan,  to align my will with His ect...) and then plead for understanding and ability to know what He wants me to do and to want whatever that is.

Sometimes I don't want to pray at all. Sometimes I just have no idea what to say- I mean my heart has a continual prayer in it, a pleading cry for help and mercy and strength and everything else that we need on a daily basis... but He already knows that. He knows the thoughts of my heart.  So what is there to say?

 I just make myself get down on my knees and then say something like "I don't know what to say. But I know thou lovest me. Help me please."

It is miraculous how the right things to pray for come to my mind. And I feel good about asking for those things because I feel they were impressions put there by Him in the first place! I am much more confident that the things I am asking for will be granted because I am starting to understand as they come out of my mouth what the Lord's plan is for me.

His design is not to give us what we want.  It is to give us something better.
Having faith in the "better" that I cannot yet see is the great challenge.