President Brigham Young on having the spirit of prayer

President Brigham Young (1801-1877) was part of the first Quorum of Twelve Apostles of this dispensation, called and ordained in 1835. He served as the second Church president, succeeding Joseph Smith, from 1847 until his death in 1877.

"If the Devil says you cannot pray when you are angry, tell him it is none of his business, and pray until that species of insanity is dispelled and serenity is restored to the mind.

"We are inhabitants of a world of sin and sorrow; pain and anguish, every ill that can be heaped upon intelligent beings in a probation we are heirs to. I suppose that God never organized an earth and peopled it that was ever reduced to a lower state of darkness, sin and ignorance than this. I suppose this is one of the lowest kingdoms that ever the Lord Almighty created, and on that account is capable of becoming exalted to be one of the highest kingdoms that has ever had an exaltation in all the eternities. In proportion as it has been reduced so it will be exalted, with that portion of its inhabitants who in their humiliation have cleaved to righteousness and acknowledged God in all things. In proportion to our fall through sin, so shall we be exalted in the presence of our Father and God, through Jesus Christ and by living the righteousness of his Gospel. All this the people will understand in due time through their faithfulness, and learn to rejoice even in the midst of afflictions....

"Let us be just, merciful, faithful and true, and let us live our religion, and we shall be taught all things pertaining to the building up of Zion. Let us train our minds until we delight in that which is good, lovely and holy, seeking continually after that intelligence which will enable us effectually to build up Zion."

- Brigham Young, Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, May 24, 1863; see JD 10:175, 177
Click here to read the full talk

There are certainly times in our lives when we feel more inclined to pray than others. President Young suggests that the Adversary takes advantage of our emotions to discourage us from praying at the times when we might most benefit. Are we inclined to pray when we are angry? Or when we feel discouraged, disappointed, annoyed at another, taken advantage of, overburdened? This is a powerful principle: when we don't feel like praying, we should pray anyway until we feel like praying again!

President Young goes on to describe the challenges of the world in which we live, full of "sin and sorrow; pain and anguish" and plenty of difficulties to go around. But we have the ability, individually and collectively, to rise above that world and to help raise the world to a better state as we turn to God and life faithfully. A great key is in the last sentence of this excerpt; we must begin to "train our minds until we delight in that which is good, lovely and holy, seeking continually after that intelligence which will enable us effectually to build up Zion." That training happens gradually, but must occur steadily in order for the miracle of change to occur.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)