Chieko N. Okazaki:
I think that Heavenly Father is pleased with all of our prayers, but I think he is especially pleased when we pray with our whole hearts, when we share ourselves completely without trying to make excuses or to make ourselves look good. Fasting is a way of peeling away things that are constant distractions so that we can temporarily concentrate on our spiritual relationships. Although fasting may bring physical discomfort, I have always loved to fast because it frees what seems like an enormous amount of time that goes into preparing, eating, and cleaning up after a meal. And having this time to pray, meditate and read the scriptures is a wonderful gift.
Can we approach the Lord as a beloved friend? Can we hunger and thirst for the time that we can spend with our Heavenly Father? Can we go eagerly and with anticipation to our prayers? When we do, our faith will increase, because we will discover that prayer becomes easy and joyous, our hearts become stayed upon the Lord in love, and the Holy Ghost will indeed become our constant companion. Does that sound impossible? I assure you, it is not. Our God is a God of miracles, and the greatest miracle is that of his love for us and his trust in us. ~Chieko N. Okazaki From ‘A Year of Powerful Prayer’ (Salt Lake City:Deseret Book, 2013), p.161-62
