We can worship our Heavenly Father through prayer. These are our private and sacred moments with God to be heard of Him and not of man. This communion built upon love, trust, respect, and reverence is exemplified by the words of Alma as he quotes from the prophet Zenos. He tells how his prayers are heard in the wilderness, in his fields, in his home, in his closet, and in congregations—and how they are answered through the goodness and mercy of God because of His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. The power of prayer is the key for knowing God and our Savior and for drawing on the powers of heaven.
I’ll never forget a conversation with Truman Madsen as I was coming out of my Book of Mormon class. I looked at him and said, “Tru, what is the greatest need in the Church today?” And I just wondered what he would say, because he’s so wonderful and kind and sweet and brilliant and bald—and all those wonderful things. And he said, “Ed,” and he took about one second, and finished, “prayer.”
Without prayer we cannot have charity. “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with [His] love” (Moroni 7:48). When fast Sunday comes around next month, what are we going to do? We’re going to pray and fast for charity so that we can become like our Savior Jesus Christ. Amulek, in Alma 34, continues the doctrine of prayer and expands upon it. (Ed J. Pinegar)