President Harold B. Lee on the blessing of communication with God

President Harold B. Lee (1899-1973) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1941. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1970-1972, then as Church president from July 1972 until his passing less than 18 months later in December 1973.

"One of the most prized of all the possessions that we can have or the prized knowledge that we can possess is that the Lord hears and answers prayers—or, to put it in another way, that we learn how to talk with God.

"Praying is not just a matter of saying words, as some various churches would teach, but to recognize that God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, are living, real personalities and that through the ministry of the other member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit, we can communicate with Him, our Heavenly Father, and receive an answer to our inquiry and strength for our days."

- Harold B. Lee, Address to the Lausanne Switzerland conference, 26 Sept. 1972, Historical Department Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2.  See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, p. 53

This is an interesting question: what is the most "prized" knowledge to have or thing to possess? President Lee counts the gift of prayer high on that list. But not just going through the motions of prayer; having the knowledge that God both hears and answers, that the communication is real and alive:

He goes on to elaborate that prayer as he considers it includes understanding the nature of the Father and the Son, and that the Holy Ghost is a part of the process of facilitating that communication. In reality, we are involved with all three as we learn to communicate and "receive an answer to our inquiry and strength for our days."