DID YOU THINK TO PRAY??

Mom's advice today:

"Don't forget to pray."

I was chatting to mother today.

I told her about my statistics math class.
I got really, really stuck last week.
I felt like crying. I felt so helpless, and hopeless.

I felt like giving up. Then I remembered I hadn't said prayer before I started studying. I went by myself, knelt (on a pillow, of course, following mom's advice to take care of my knees), and told God about how helpless I felt. I told him about how sorry I was to forget to even talk with Him and ask for help.

And I cried.

And then followed President Hinckley's 2003, Women's Conference advice. He said, " Get on your knees and ask for the blessings of the Lord; then stand on your feet and do what you are asked to do. Then leave the matter in the hands of the Lord. You will discover that you have accomplished something beyond price."

I don't know that my homework will accomplish something beyond price, but I do know that when I stood up and returned to my studies that my mind cleared, new ideas came to me, and I knew what to try next. I discovered why I was stuck, gained an understanding of the concepts of the week, completed my assignment (on time), and I passed the test. 

I told mom about this experience. 

She said, "Always remember to pray. My mother taught me that!"

Mom says her mother often sang the hymn, "Did You Think to Pray."

Mom began to sing. I joined her.

Thank you Grandma.

I often heard my mother sing that hymn [140]. 

I know it by heart.

Now I just need to do it.

Lyrics
1. Ere you left your room this morning,
    Did you think to pray?
    In the name of Christ, our Savior,
    Did you sue for loving favor
    As a shield today?

(Chorus)
Oh, how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day.
So, when life gets dark and dreary,
Don't forget to pray.

2. When your heart was filled with anger,
     Did you think to pray?
     Did you plead for grace, my brother,
     That you might forgive another
     Who had crossed your way?

3. When sore trials came upon you,
    Did you think to pray?
    When your soul was full of sorrow,
    Balm of Gilead did you borrow
    At the gates of day?

Text: Mary A. Pepper Kidder, 1820-1905
Music: William O. Perkins, 1831-1902