From D. Kelly Ogden’s book “8 Mighty Changes God Wants for You Before You Get to Heaven”. . . .
There is a difference between “saying prayers” and really communicating with Heavenly Father. What do the scriptures mean when they speak of “pouring out your soul” to God? And when the scriptures refer to “mighty prayer,” how does it happen?
Here are two illustrations from my own experience. During the mission in Santiago, Chile, I found myself frequently in the office staring at the picture board that contained two hundred pictures of elders and sisters, with essential notes about their time in the mission and where they were serving. I spent a lot of time on my knees in that office, pleading with Heavenly Father for guidance in doing the work of his Son. A number of times I would be praying and would actually open my eyes, get off my knees, and stand before the picture board—still during my prayer—and pray for each missionary, by name. (That would take quite a while.) I wanted to look into the face of each missionary, mention their names, and ask for blessings on each one of them.
We need to get much more specific in our prayers, mentioning the names of people we know with special needs. They are all around us, in every ward, on every street. The Spirit will tell us for whom we can pray, and how we can help them.
Another example: Revelation often comes during prayer, and I know the limits of my memory. When the Lord tells me something, when he gives me some insight into a gospel principle or instruction on how to proceed with something or how to help someone, I need to write it down—not waiting until the end of my prayer or else I might forget it. So while I am still praying I will on occasion get up and grab a notebook and pen and record what came into my mind—even if it takes five or ten minutes to write about it (during which time even more revelation may come). Then I will get back on my knees and resume my prayer. Is that heresy—to get up and interrupt the flow of prayer? To me, that is the part of talking with my Father in Heaven. It is not a one way monologue; it is two-way communication. If he tells me something, I need to write it down, right then. ~D. Kelly Ogden, 8 Mighty Changes God Wants for You Before You Get to Heaven (Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2004), 28-30
