#9: No half-hearted prayers, please

"Ye must pray always, and not faint" (2 Nephi 32:8-9)

Heard this one before? I've heard this scripture plenty of times in many lessons and there are many different ways that this one line could be interpreted based on an individual's circumstances. I've heard it explained that we should pray always and not give up; that we should pray always and our prayers will sustain us; these are all very nice and very applicable but I never felt that this scripture really spoke to me. Until it was explained to me in a whole different way.

Turns out there's a few different definitions of the word faint (I love looking up definitions if you can't tell by now). The definitions below made this scripture light up like a firework for me!

faint

/feɪnt/ adjective

1. lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc.

2. feeble or slight

3. feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted; about to lose consciousness

4. lacking courage; cowardly; timorous

"Pray always, and not faint"... it's almost like the Lord is saying "Pray, yes, but I don't want any half-hearted prayers. Give me the real thing. Really talk to me."

Now it makes sense. The Lord is giving us specific instructions on how to get the most out of our prayers. We can pray all day long but if our prayers aren't clear, loud, strong, and heartfelt, what are we really going to get out of it?  Not nearly as much as if we really talk to Heavenly Father. He wants the real thing. A real conversation with us.

Let us pray always...and not faint!