3 Nephi 18:15–39; 19:19–29

“Pray Always”

Jesus Christ praying in the Americas

Many people pray every day. Some prayers can be more meaningful than others. Jesus Christ not only taught His followers to “always pray unto the Father” (3 Nephi 18:19), but He also showed them how to pray. This lesson can help you follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ to pray always and to have more meaningful prayers.

Praying for your students regularly. Heavenly Father knows each of your students. As you pray to Him about your students, He can help you discern their needs and inspire you with ways to meet those needs. Listen for promptings that may come as you prepare to teach or during the lesson.

Student preparation: Invite students to read or listen to President M. Russell Ballard’s talk “Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 77–79), looking for truths that could help them with their personal prayers.

Possible Learning Activities

Examples

Write the sentence below with the blanks on the board, and allow several students to share how they would fill in the blanks.

Think of a talent, skill, or attribute you would like to develop. Identify people you know who have that talent, skill, or attribute. Using these thoughts, fill in the following blanks in a few different ways:

• If I wanted to learn about , I would follow the example of because .

Repeat the exercise by filling in the first blank of the following sentence with something you want to learn from the Savior and answering why in the final blank.

• If I wanted to learn about , I would follow the example of Jesus Christ because .

During His ministry in the Americas, the Savior taught the people by word and example.

Read 3 Nephi 18:16, 24, looking for an example Jesus set.

• What did the Savior want the people to learn from His example?

Students could self-assess their current prayers using the following scale. Doing so can invite the Holy Ghost to help them know how the Savior’s teachings and example can help them improve their personal prayers.

Rate the following on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest:

• I pray every day.

• I communicate with and feel close to Heavenly Father when I pray.

• I feel a desire to improve my personal prayers.

Invite students to discuss common challenges to meaningful prayer—for example, making time to pray, knowing what to say, receiving answers, or other challenges. Students can then look for solutions as they study the scriptures.

As you continue to study 3 Nephi 18, seek the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to help you know what you can do to improve your personal prayers. Follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ as you seek to improve.

The Savior’s teachings about prayer

Read 3 Nephi 18:15, 18–23, looking for what the Savior taught about prayer. You could also read the Savior’s instruction on prayer from His sermon at the temple in 3 Nephi 13:5–13.

Students could complete the following sentence on the board:

• I can follow the Savior’s teachings on prayer by …

Take sufficient time to discuss the Savior’s teachings. Be willing to let the discussion go to what the students feel they need. For example, the class might spend time talking about how prayer helps us resist temptation, how prayer blesses families, or how we can ask for blessings in prayer. You could study more of the Savior’s teachings about prayer in Luke 11:1–13.

You might also use some of the statements in the “Commentary and Background Information” section as part of the discussion.

• Which of Jesus’s teachings about prayer do you think could help you the most? Why?

The Savior’s example of prayer

Imagine what it would be like to hear Jesus Christ pray for you. What do you think He would pray for on your behalf? Think about the feelings you might have and how they could impact your own prayers.

You could divide the class into small groups and assign each group one of the following sets of verses to read and report on.

Help students see to whom Jesus prayed, whom He prayed for, what He prayed for, why He prayed, His attitude in prayer, and more. One way to do this is to have students answer “Who?” “What?” “Why?” and “How?”

When discussing why Jesus prayed, you could help students see that one of the reasons Jesus prayed was to commune with His Father, whom He loved.

You could show the video “The Disciples Minister and Jesus Christ Prays for the People” from time code 3:05 to 7:18, available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and invite students to follow along with the verses in 3 Nephi 19.

• 3 Nephi 17:14–17

• 3 Nephi 19:19–23

• 3 Nephi 19:27–29

• Matthew 26:39–42

• John 17:1, 4, 8–9

• Doctrine and Covenants 45:3–5

Invite students to complete the following sentence on the board:

• I can follow the Savior’s example in prayer by …

• What did you learn about how the Savior feels about you?

• How do you think following His example could make a difference in your prayers?

Our personal prayers

Help students think of meaningful experiences they have had with prayer. Students could think about when they may have prayed to resist temptation or for help with a challenge. They could think about when their family has been blessed through prayer, when they have prayed for someone else, or when they asked for blessings. Invite students to share how prayer has blessed them. Remind students not to share experiences that are too sacred or private.

Share with students how you have been blessed as you have followed the Savior’s example and His teachings about prayer. Refer to the completed statements on the board, and discuss how the Savior’s teachings and example can help with the challenges of prayer mentioned earlier.

Select at least one of the Savior’s teachings or something He exemplified in prayer that you can incorporate into your personal prayers. Create a reminder and begin acting on it today. As you do, notice how it helps your prayers be more meaningful and how it influences your relationship with Heavenly Father.

You may want to add some of what you learned today to your journal entry “Learning about Jesus Christ in 3 Nephi.”

You may want to invite students to add to their journal entry “Learning about Jesus Christ in 3 Nephi.”

Commentary and Background Information

How does prayer bless families?

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency shared:

President Henry B. Eyring

When you pray with and for family members, you will feel your and the Savior’s love for them. That will become more and more your spiritual gift as you seek it. Your family members will feel it as you pray with greater faith. (Henry B. Eyring, “Women and Gospel Learning in the Home,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 60)

What can I pray for?

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

President M. Russell Ballard

I invite you to pray always. Pray for your family. Pray for the leaders of nations. Pray for the courageous people who are on the front lines in the current battles against social, environmental, political, and biological plagues that impact all people throughout the world: the rich and the poor, the young and the old.

The Savior taught us to not limit who we pray for. He said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” [Matthew 5:44]. (M. Russell Ballard, “Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 78)

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared:

Elder David A. Bednar

Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal lives is good and proper. However, praying earnestly for others, both those whom we love and those who despitefully use us, is also an important element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more often in our prayers enlarges the conduit for revelation, so praying for others with all of the energy of our souls increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord. (David A. Bednar, “Pray Always,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 43)

Why do we pray to Heavenly Father?

We are instructed to pray to Heavenly Father. We do not pray to Jesus Christ or any other individual. To feel close to our heavenly parents, some individuals may feel a desire to pray to Heavenly Mother. Church leaders have addressed this by pointing to the example of Jesus Christ.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elder Dale G. Renlund

The Savior taught His disciples, “Always pray unto the Father in my name” [3 Nephi 18:19]. We follow this pattern and direct our worship to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ and do not pray to Heavenly Mother. (Dale G. Renlund, “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny,” Liahona, May 2022, 70)

3 Nephi 19:18, 22. Why did the disciples pray to Jesus?

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–1985) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

There was a special reason why this was done in this instance and on a onetime basis. Jesus had already taught them to pray in his name to the Father, which they first did. … Jesus was present before them as the symbol of the Father…. Seeing him, it was as though they saw the Father; praying to him, it was as though they prayed to the Father. It was a special and unique situation. (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ [1978], 560–61)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Experiences with prayer

To prepare students to share their own experiences with prayer, consider sharing the article about a young man in Jamaica named Ammon (see “Connect,” For the Strength of Youth, June 2021, inside front cover), or watch the video “Prayer” (4:12).

3 Nephi 18:15, 18. “Watch and pray always lest ye be tempted by the devil”

To help students see the importance and value of praying to resist temptation, they could study and link the following verses with 3 Nephi 18:15, 18: Matthew 26:41; Alma 34:39; Doctrine and Covenants 10:5; 20:33; 61:39.

To help students understand how prayer can help us resist temptation, you could display an umbrella, a coat, a pair of gloves, or other protective clothing. Discuss how those items provide protection and how putting them on or using them can be similar to prayer.

3 Nephi 18:22–25, 30–35. “Unto such shall ye continue to minister”

Students may benefit from a discussion about ministering to others. Invite them to think about individuals in their families or their ward or branch who may not be enjoying the full blessings of the gospel. Read 3 Nephi 18:22–25, 30–32, looking for what the Savior taught about how to help. Discuss the Savior’s teachings and ways we can minister to others.

3 Nephi 19:24. “It was given unto them what they should pray”

Sometimes we struggle to know what to pray for, and our prayers can feel repetitive. Consider reading 3 Nephi 19:24 and Romans 8:26 and discussing how the Holy Ghost can inspire us with what to pray for. Invite students to share what they can do to let the Holy Ghost inspire them in their prayers. For example, they could record ideas in a journal or ponder what to pray for before praying. Students could also share personal experiences when they have received this blessing.

Morning and evening prayers

If students would benefit from seeing a connection between their morning and evening prayers, they could study portions of “Pray Always” by Elder David A. Bednar (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 41–44). The class could also watch the video of his talk from time code 1:56 to 5:55.