Elder Bednar Pray Always Fhe Ideas

Title: Pray Always Speaker: Elder David A. Bednar Ensign, November 2008, p. 41

Step 1.

Prayerfully read this talk. Ask for guidance

from the Holy Ghost to find those messages from the talk that will help your particular family members.

Step 2.

Topics: Pray always Gratitude Pray for Others

Plan the lesson using the scriptures,

lds.org, Friend, New Era, Ensign, lesson manuals, institute manuals, For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, etc. You can also consider the following ideas:

For younger children

Show the simple diagram of “pray

always” and explain how our morning and evening prayers are connected to our prayers throughout the day. Tell the story, “What Would Jesus Do?” The boy said a silent prayer for help in the moment help was needed, and it was given. To completely understand this concept, it might be important to continue this lesson throughout the week. Pray with younger children in the morning to ask for help in a particular area the child is working on, such as not hitting. When a difficult situation arises, pray with your child and have your child notice when help is given and then say a prayer of gratitude. You can use the “prayer reminder” puzzle pieces and tell the story of Enos’ prayer and the story of Jeremy and Daniel. Have the children enact it with the cutouts. For a family prayer sometime that week, you can say a prayer with only gratitude. Encourage children to do the same in their prayers.

Step 3.

For older children or adults

Talk about the “pray always” diagram and how

our prayers become connected throughout the day and weeks and years, and how this fulfills the scriptures to “pray always.” Use the activity “Heavenly Father Hears and Answers Prayers” to practice praying always during the week. On the narrow strip with lines, write some things you are working on and wish to ask Heavenly Father for help with. On the first square write ideas of things to pray for in your morning prayer. In the next square write ways you can offer prayers of gratitude when help is given throughout the day. In the next square write ways you can pray for additional help th during difficult times. In the 4 square write ways you can review your day in your evening prayer in preparation for your morning prayer. Slide the narrow strip inside the folded piece. Place this reminder on your pillow to remind you to pray before you go to bed. At night, place it beside your bed to remind you to pray in the morning. Older children could tell the story of Enos and Jeremy and Daniel to younger children. See also Elder Bednar’s talk from April conference on prayer. This talk was a continuation of his last talk. Sing, “Ere You Left Your Room this Morning.”

Involve family members in carrying out the lesson plan. You can

use the planning wheel and agenda sheet provided at the beginning of this manual.