O Father of Light, Eternal and near,
We lift our voices, humble and clear.
Hallowed be Thy name above,
We bow in meekness, filled with love.
Thy will on earth, Thy will in skies,
Teach our hearts where true strength lies.
Forgive our debts as we forgive,
Grant us grace that we may live.
Guide our steps from paths that stray,
Deliver us, Lord, both night and day.
Thine is the kingdom, glory, and power,
Forever we trust Thee, hour by hour.
📜 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
📜 10 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
📜 11 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
📜 12 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
📜 13 For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Let’s take the verses from 3 Nephi 13:9–13 and break them down into practical guidance for improving prayer. Each line is not just a formula, but a posture of the heart.
- Focus on relationship: Begin prayer by recognizing God as Father. This sets prayer in the context of intimacy and reverence.
- Sanctify His name: To “hallow” means to honor, set apart, and glorify. Improving prayer means starting with worship, not requests.
Let's take a closer look at the cross-reference words, in this particular verse.
🗝📜9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
📜 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
📜 11 Give us this day our daily bread.
📜 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
📜 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
This passage teaches that prayer begins with reverence for God as Father, seeks the coming of His kingdom and alignment with His will, asks for daily provision, embraces forgiveness both given and received, petitions for guidance away from temptation and deliverance from evil, and closes with praise acknowledging God’s eternal sovereignty, power, and glory.
📗 Psalm 55
📜 17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
📜 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
📜 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
📜 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
🗝📜 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
📒 Moroni 7
📜 6 For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
📜 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
(📕 Ephesians 6)
📜 11 And if thou wilt inquire, thou shalt know mysteries which are great and marvelous; therefore thou shalt exercise thy gift, that thou mayest find out mysteries, that thou mayest bring many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, convince them of the error of their ways.
Prayer is shown as continual and sincere, offered morning, noon, and night, in secret communion with the Father who knows our needs, not with vain repetition but with real intent and energy of heart, seeking forgiveness, love, and purity through Christ, and opening the way to divine mysteries that bring truth and light to others.
📜 10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
📕 1 John 5
📜 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
📒 Mormon 7
📜 7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.
📜 75 That I may testify unto your Father, and your God, and my God, that you are clean from the blood of this wicked generation; that I may fulfil this promise, this great and last promise, which I have made unto you, when I will.
📜 19 And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.
📜 1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
God the Father, Elohim, is revealed as the one Creator and covenantal Father of all, united with the Son and the Holy Ghost in bearing record of truth and redemption, promising eternal joy to the guiltless, testifying of purity and deliverance, declaring His supreme intelligence above all spirits, and affirmed in the Articles of Faith as the Eternal Father alongside His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.
- Align with divine will: Prayer is not about bending heaven to our desires, but aligning earth with God’s purposes.
- Practical improvement: Ask not only for blessings, but for strength to accept and act on God’s will—even when it challenges personal plans.
1. When in the wondrous realms above
Our Savior had been called upon
To save our world of sin by love,
He said, “Thy will, O Lord, be done.”
2. The King of Kings left worlds of light,
Became the meek and lowly One;
In brightest day or darkest night,
He said, “Thy will, O Lord, be done.”
3. No crown of thorns, no cruel cross
Could make our great Redeemer shun.
He counted his own will but naught,
And said, “Thy will, O Lord, be done.”
4.We take the bread and cup this day
In mem’ry of the sinless One,
And pray for strength, that we may say,
As he, “Thy will, O Lord, be done.”
This hymn affirms Christ’s perfect submission to the Father’s will in heaven, in His mortal humility, through suffering and sacrifice, and invites worshippers to remember Him in the sacrament and seek strength to likewise yield their hearts, declaring with faith and love, “Thy will, O Lord, be done.”
- Seek forgiveness: Prayer improves when it includes honest confession and a plea for mercy.
- Extend forgiveness: The verse ties God’s forgiveness to our willingness to forgive others. Growth in prayer means carrying reconciliation into daily life.
🗣 By Elder Kevin R. Duncan
Of the Seventy
"Forgiveness is a glorious, healing principle. We do not need to be a victim twice. We can forgive."
Forgiveness in prayer calls for humble confession and mercy, joined with extending grace to others, and as Elder Kevin R. Duncan taught, it is a healing principle that frees us from repeated victimhood and allows reconciliation to flourish in daily life.
- Ask for guidance: Prayer is strengthened when we acknowledge our vulnerability and ask for God’s protection.
- Deliverance focus: Improvement comes by naming the struggles or temptations we face and inviting God’s power into those specific areas.
📜 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
What did the Lord mean by “lead us not into temptation”?
The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies that this phrase means the Lord does not lead us into temptation: “And suffer us not to be led into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
The Lord’s teaching to pray “lead us not into temptation” is clarified to mean we ask God to help us not be led into temptation but to be delivered from evil, showing our dependence on His guidance and protection, and tied to forgiveness as we extend mercy to others so that the Father may likewise forgive us.
- Return to praise: Prayer closes by re-centering on God’s sovereignty, power, and eternal glory.
- Practical improvement: End prayers with gratitude and acknowledgment of God’s reign, which shifts the heart from anxiety to trust.
By President Dallin H. Oaks
First Counselor in the First Presidency
October 2023
"We have a loving Heavenly Father who will see that we receive every blessing and every advantage that our own desires and choices allow."
Prayer’s closing words affirm God’s eternal kingdom, power, and glory, teaching us to end with gratitude and trust, and as President Dallin H. Oaks testified, our loving Heavenly Father will ensure we receive blessings and advantages according to our desires and choices.
- Begin with worship → Anchor prayer in reverence.
- Submit to God’s will → Transform prayer from self-centered to kingdom-centered.
- Confess and forgive → Make prayer a channel of reconciliation.
- Seek protection → Invite God into daily struggles.
- End with praise → Seal prayer with trust and gratitude.
Simple without over intellectualizing, remaining "Child Like" in our prayers. With humility, meekness, contrite, and a broken heart.
This Bible study shows that true prayer begins with reverence for God as Father, aligns our hearts with His will, seeks daily sustenance, embraces forgiveness both given and received, asks for protection from temptation and deliverance from evil, and closes with praise for His eternal kingdom, power, and glory. It teaches that prayer must be continual, sincere, and offered with real intent, opening us to divine mysteries and filling us with Christlike love. It affirms God the Father, Elohim, as Creator and covenantal Father, united with the Son and the Holy Ghost in redemption and eternal joy. It reminds us through Christ’s example that submission to God’s will brings strength even in suffering, and that forgiveness heals and reconciles. Finally, it centers prayer in trust and gratitude, affirming that our loving Heavenly Father desires to bless His children and guide them into everlasting glory.
✨ Prayer to the Divine Architect: A Litany of Charity and Illumination
O Divine Architect of the Universe, Father & Mother of infinite wisdom and love,
We bow before Your radiant majesty—Creator of light, breath, and the sacred gift of consciousness.
Focus our hearts on the transcendent virtue of Charity, as revealed through our Holy Brother, Jesus the Nazarene.
Lord Brother, we thank You for Your selfless labor,
For strengthening us through the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit,
Whose breath of Atonement renews us daily,
As we consecrate our wills to Your loving governance and eternal wisdom.
Liberate us, O Sovereign One, from the confines of self,
From the fleeting allurements of the world and the subtle whispers of the adversary.
Illuminate our minds to discern the shadows—
That we may walk boldly into the Light.
We ask for the Bread of Life and Understanding,
That we may journey in the luminescence of Your Love.
Guide us moment by moment in the mystery of Your will,
And empower our feet to tread the narrow path of eternal progression.
Grant us the gift of discernment,
That we may prioritize Your will in all communal endeavors.
Inspire us to embody selflessness—
To serve with compassion and wisdom beyond the bounds of self, family, and tribe.
As we align our will with Yours,
Let the Holy Spirit be our compass and our flame.
May the insights from Your Word—the Bread of Understanding—
Remain ever before us, a living reminder of Your grace in Christ Jesus our Lord.
O Divine Creator,
Your ingenious design—revealed in the elegant languages of math and science—
Fills us with awe and gratitude.
May we honor Your creative spark within us,
As we strive to build worlds in Your image,
Illuminated by the same Light of Love.
You are the Sovereign of all that exists,
The Beauty that permeates the cosmos from age to age.
With joy and devotion, we offer our love to You,
Father-Mother of All,
And celebrate the Gift of Charity
In the name of our Holy Brother, Jesus Christ, the Nazarene.
Amen.
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