Great Prayers in the
Book of Mormon
For each item below, on a separate sheet of paper write –

The scripture reference.

Who spoke the prayer.

Words blanked out.

Write what makes this prayer noteworthy. Often this is
what happens directly after the prayer is said.
1. Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou
deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even
give me strength that I may burst these ______ with
which I am bound.
2. Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall
smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has
power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that
Christ shall come. And ___ ____, O Lord, be done, and
not mine.
3. And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my
_____, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and
supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did
I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still
raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
4. And in that day ye shall be hunted, and ye shall be taken
by the hand of your enemies, and then ye shall suffer,
as I suffer, the pains of death by ____. Thus God
executeth vengeance upon those that destroy his
people. O God, receive my soul.
5. O God, _____ hath told me that there is a God; and if
there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make
thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins
to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead,
and be saved at the last day.
6. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried
within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy
on me, who am in the gall of __________, and am
encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And
now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my
pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory
of my ____ no more.
7. And it came to pass that he went out and bowed
himself down upon the earth, and _____ ________ to
his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were
about to be destroyed because of their faith in the
tradition of their fathers. And it came to pass that he
_____ ________ unto the Lord all that day; and behold,
the voice of the Lord came unto him…
8. O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed
about by the ______. Now behold, O Lord, and do not
be angry with thy servant because of his weakness
before thee ...
9. And when __ shall _______ these ______, I would
______ you that __ would ___ God… if these ______
are not ____; and if __ shall ___ with a _______ _____,
with ____ ______, having ____ in _____, he will
________ the _____ of it unto ___, by the power of the
____ _____.
The Resurrected Savior in Prayer
1. During his mortal ministry, why did Jesus Christ,
creator of heaven and earth, need to pray?
Robert L. Millet – … When he felt the need for
reassurance, he prayed to his Father in Heaven. When
he needed answers or perspective, he prayed. When he
needed the sacred sustaining influence of the Father in
his darkest hours, he prayed, prayed earnestly. (From his
chapter in Third Nephi, p. 143.)
2. How many times does the New Testament show the
risen Lord praying?
The only mention is with the travelers to Emmaus,
where the Lord “took bread, and blessed it, and brake,
and gave to them.” (Luke 22:30.)
3. Now that he was resurrected, perfected and having a
fullness of glory, why did he need to pray?
Robert L. Millet – Why would [he] … spend so much of
his time in prayer among the Nephites? Was there
some truth he did not know, some godly attribute he
did not possess, some energy or strength he lacked? …
Jesus prayed to the Father because he loved the Father.
Jesus prayed to the Father because it was a reverential
way of speaking to his Father, who is forever worthy of
the reverence of his children. (ibid. 143-144.)
4. In 3 Nephi, what did Jesus do physically when he
prayed?
3 Nephi 17:15 – And when he had said these words, he
himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed
unto the Father …
3 Nephi 19:19 – And it came to pass that Jesus departed
out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from
them and bowed himself to the earth …
3 Nephi 19:27 – And he turned from them again, and
went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth;
and he prayed again unto the Father …
3 Nephi 19:31 – And it came to pass that he went again
a little way off and prayed unto the Father …
5. How did he begin his prayers?
Manual –Upon returning to visit the Nephites a second
time, Jesus began His first and second prayers recorded
in scripture by thanking His Father (see 3 Nephi 19:19–20,
27–28).
6. What was he grateful for?
3 Nephi 19:19 – Father, I thank thee that thou hast
given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen …
3 Nephi 19:28 – Father, I thank thee that thou hast
purified those whom I have chosen …
7. What troubled him?
3 Nephi 17:14 – And it came to pass that when they had
knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself,
and said: Father, I am troubled because of the
wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.
Moses 7:48 – And it came to pass that Enoch looked
upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels
thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am
pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my
children.
8. Why did he mention only the House of Israel and not
everyone everywhere?
3 Nephi 19:29 – Father, I pray not for the world, but for
those whom thou hast given me out of the world,
because of their faith …
[That passage does not answer the question but just affirms it.
What do you think?]
9. What else did he pray for?
3 Nephi 19:21 – Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give
the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their
words.
3 Nephi 19:29 – … that they may be purified in me, that
I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may
be one, that I may be glorified in them.
10. Why can’t the other things he prayed for be recorded?
3 Nephi 17:15, 17 – … And the things which he prayed
cannot be written … And no tongue can speak, neither
can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts
of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we
both saw and heard Jesus speak …
3 Nephi 19:32-34 – And tongue cannot speak the words
which he prayed, neither can be written by man the
words which he prayed. And the multitude did hear
and do bear record; and their hearts were open and
they did understand in their hearts the words which he
prayed. Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the
words which he prayed that they cannot be written,
neither can they be uttered by man.
11. What does it mean to “not multiply many words”?
Gene R. Cook – When we pray publicly, let us be careful
to never be swept away in the desire for the honors of
men, which might cause us to pray without real intent
or to unnecessarily extend the length of our prayers. …
We must always be careful to avoid “flowery” prayers
or prayers to impress. (Receiving Answers to Our Prayers, p.
43-44. See 3 Nephi 19:34, Matthew 6:7, 3 Nephi 13:7.)
12. In 3 Nephi 19 why did the Nephites pray to the Savior?
Bruce R. McConkie – … Jesus was present before them
as the symbol of the Father. Seeing him, it was as
though they saw the Father; praying to him, it was as
though they prayed to the Father. It was a special and
unique situation” (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of
Christ, p. 560-561).
Manual – It should also be noted that the Savior
specifically stated that the people were praying to Him
on this occasion because, as He said, “I am with them”
(3 Nephi 19:22).
13. What was the effect of Jesus leading the people in
prayer on the people present?
3 Nephi 17:18 – … So great was the joy of the multitude
that they were overcome.
3 Nephi 19:25 – And it came to pass that Jesus blessed
them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance
did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance
did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as
the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and
behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the
whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth
so white as the whiteness thereof.
14. Why did Jesus pray for the specific people there with
him?
Robert L. Millet – I have reflected what it would be like
to hear my Redeemer importune the Father for me.
Listen to the Savior’s words to Peter at the last supper:
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you,
that he may sift you as wheat.” [See also 3 Nephi 18:18.]
Now note this most unusual phrase: “But I have prayed
for thee, that thy faith fail not.” (Luke 22:31-232.) I have
wondered what that senior apostle must have felt to
know that Jesus, the Lord of the universe, had been
praying for him. (ibid. 137.)
D&C 38:4 – … And verily, I say, even as many as have
believed in my name, for I am Christ, and in mine own
name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have
I pleaded before the Father for them. (See also ( D&C 32:3,
D&C 45:3, D&C 62:1, D&C 110:4.)
(By Zan and Misty Larsen, www.elarsen.net/lessons)
Presentation Notes
1. Start the class by asking what prayers in the Book of
Mormon they think would be included in this lesson.
2. Assign each prayer to one person, i.e. do not work in
groups. If groups seems better, clearly tell them to
divide up the prayers among their group. Bottom line:
looking up prayers can take some people a long time,
especially if they have not studied the scriptures much
in English.
3. Ask the class if there are other prayers they would have
included. Tell them that building a top 10 list is a good
way to study the scriptures or to provide a lesson.
Bolded words within the passages below are those that are
blanked out above.
1. 1 Nephi 7:17 – Nephi, burst the bands O Lord, according
to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from
the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength
that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.
2. Jacob 7:14 - Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if
God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he
has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that
Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not
mine.
Notes – Person: Jacob. The first antichrist in the Book of
Mormon, Sherem, then gets smitten. It’s wonderful how
close Jacob is to the Lord that we can switch in midparagraph to speak to the Lord. It’s as if the Lord is
present (which he is) and Jacob knows it.
3. Enos 1:4 - And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down
before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer
and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long
did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did
still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
Notes - Person: Enos. He prayed first for himself, then
for his people, then for the Lamanites. It’s a great
pattern to follow. Also, if we feel on certain days that we
don’t have charity for people in general, we could ask
ourselves how we feel about our own people (family,
ward members, friends). If we feel low there we can
then ask how we feel about ourselves. Correcting each
step let’s us expand our circle of awareness and charity.
4. Mosiah 17:18-19 - And in that day ye shall be hunted,
and ye shall be taken by the hand of your enemies, and
then ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains of death by fire.
Thus God executeth vengeance upon those that destroy
his people. O God, receive my soul.
Notes – Person: Abinadi. This prayer is the last words
from this great prophet’s mouth, before he was
martyred.
5. Alma 22:18 - O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a
God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou
make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my
sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the
dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the
king had said these words, he was struck as if he were
dead.
Notes – Person: King Lamoni’s father. This is probably
the only sincere prayer by a non-member in the Book of
Mormon. He is incredibly honest in saying he is not yet
sure there even is a god. And at the same time he
exhibits an great understanding of the gospel when he
says he will give up all his sins to know God. He was very
well prepared for the missionary lessons and was very
well taught by Aaron, Ammon’s brother. Earlier when
wounded by Ammon, King Lamoni’s father offered
Ammon half of his kingdom to have his life spared.
When being taught by Aaron, the king said, “I will give up
all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I
may receive this great joy.” In his mind the worth for joy
in Christ was obviously double that of his own life. By
the time he actually says his prayer, he had advanced in
his understanding of the gospel to the point that his
“currency” had changed from wealth and power to his
own sins, something which the Lord is very interested
taking off our hands because he has already paid for
them.
6. Alma 36:18-19 - Now, as my mind caught hold upon this
thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of
God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of
bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting
chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I
could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed
up by the memory of my sins no more.
Notes – This is the center and high point of a large
“chiasmus”, which is a very elaborate structure of ideas
and a form of ancient poetry. The chiasmus spans the
entire chapter and this prayer it’s the pinnacle and focus.
Fourteen points or ideas follow after this prayer, and
each of these points is mirrored in reverse order by
fourteen points before this prayer. It is one of the
biggest examples of chiasmus anywhere in the world.
More importantly the chapter is arguably the most
magnificently composed example of the atonement.
7. 3 Nephi 1:11-12 - And it came to pass that he went out
and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried
mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those
who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in
the tradition of their fathers. And it came to pass that
he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold,
the voice of the Lord came unto him…
Notes – Person: Nephi, son of Nephi who was the son of
Helaman (3 Ne. 1:2,10). What follows this prayer is the
Lord’s magnificent response, “…On the morrow come I
into the world”. His very birth saved the lives of
thousands of Nephites who were condemned to death
by those who claimed the time was past. From the
beginning of his earthly ministry he is the savior.
8. Ether 3:2 - O Lord, thou hast said that we must be
encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord,
and do not be angry with thy servant because of his
weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy
and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy
before thee; because of the fall our natures have
become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast
given us a commandment that we must call upon thee,
that from thee we may receive according to our desires.
Notes – Person: The brother of Jared. In this prayer the
prophet confesses how woefully inadequate humans are
in solving the technical problem of providing light inside
the barges. The other problems of air supply and
steering were solved by the Lord giving building
instructions, and the people carrying them out. The
problem of lighting however, despite the prophet’s
moltening of the stones, still could not be solved without
God performing an action beyond further directions.
What follows is the Lord’s action of touching the stones
and that whole marvelous experience.
9. Moroni 10:3-5 - Behold, I would exhort you that when ye
shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye
should read them, that ye would remember how
merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men,
from the creation of Adam even down until the time that
ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your
hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would
exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in
the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye
shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having
faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you,
by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of
the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Notes – Person: Each of us. This is the most famous of
all of the prayers in the Book of Mormon, but it’s not
voiced by anyone in the book. It’s up to us in the
present. Sometimes an earnest investigator will read,
ponder and pray and not receive an answer. This can be
perplexing to the missionaries. The guidance lies here
right here in the same verses that tell us to pray in the
first place. It’s to backtrack and “remember how
merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of
men, from the creation of Adam even down until the
time that ye shall receive these things.” Why is the
creation of Adam mentioned here? When teaching
King Lamoni’s father Aaron thoroughly covered this
very point, eloquently summarized in Alma 22:1315. The word “expound” is used there three times.
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says it means “to clear of
obscurity; to interpret”, with which the missionaries
and other teachers can help. When we can pray
with the readiness and understanding of the gospel
that the older king had of the desperate need of a
redeemer from our sins, we will get the confirmation
and taste the joy.
Extra Material
Other Great Prayers
And it came to pass that when __ ______ had read and seen
many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many
things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy
works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the
heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over
all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art
merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that
they shall perish!
1 Nephi 1:14 – And it came to pass that when my father
had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did
exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and
marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne
is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and
mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and,
because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who
come unto thee that they shall perish!
Notes - Person: Lehi. After reading the brass plates. First
prayer in the Book of Mormon.
1 Nephi 7:17 – Nephi, burst the bands
O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou
deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give
me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am
bound.
2 Nephi 4:32-33 – Nephi: “Encircle me”
O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness
before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley,
that I may be strict in the plain road! O Lord, wilt thou
encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness!
Mosiah 18:12 – Alma baptizing
And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being
one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and
cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant,
that he may do this work with holiness of heart.
Alma 2:30 – Alma: “an instrument”
And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God, being
exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy
and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands
to save and preserve this people.
Alma 8:22 – Alma: “gave thanks”
And it came to pass that Alma ate bread and was filled; and
he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave thanks unto
God.
Alma 14:26 – Alma: broke the cords
And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great
afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our
faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And they
broke the cords with which they were bound; and when the
people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of
destruction had come upon them.
Alma 15:10-11 – Alma: healing of Zeezrom
And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God,
have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith
which is in Christ. And when Alma had said these words,
Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this
was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and
the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of
Sidom.
Alma 18:41-42 – Lamoni passes out
And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have
mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast
had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my
people. And now, when he had said this, he fell unto the
earth, as if he were dead.
how long, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy servants shall
dwell here below in the flesh, to behold such gross
wickedness among the children of men? … O Lord, wilt thou
comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my
fellow laborers who are with me—yea, Ammon, and Aaron,
and Omner, and also Amulek and Zeezrom and also my two
sons—yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord. Yea,
wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ. Wilt thou grant unto
them that they may have strength, that they may bear their
afflictions which shall come upon them because of the
iniquities of this people. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us
that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee
in Christ. Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many
of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord,
power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren,
again unto thee. Now it came to pass that when Alma had
said these words, that he clapped his hands upon all them
who were with him. And behold, as he clapped his hands
upon them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Alma 33:4-7 – Zenos’ prayer, quoted by Alma
For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard
my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou
wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were
mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me. Yea, O God,
and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in
my field; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou
didst hear me. And again, O God, when I did turn to my
house thou didst hear me in my prayer. And when I did turn
unto my closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst
hear me.
Alma 31:15-18 – Zoramites on the Rameumptom
Alma 34:17-27 – Amulek on what to pray for
Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we
believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and
that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.
Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our
brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our
brethren, which was handed down to them by the
childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast
elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made
it known unto us that there shall be no Christ. But thou art
the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast
elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are
elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which
holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that
thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the
foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them
down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to
wander far from thee, our God. And again we thank thee, O
God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.
17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye
may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye
begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy
upon you;
Alma 31:26-36 – Alma: response to
Zoramite prayer, his missionary companions
And he lifted up his voice to heaven, and cried, saying: O,
18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto
him.
20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all
your flocks.
21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your
household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to
all righteousness.
24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may
prosper in them.
25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your
closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your
hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for
your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are
around you.
Helaman 7:6-10 - Nephi, the son of Helaman,
on a tower next to the highway
6 Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites, in
the space of not many years; and when Nephi saw it, his
heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast; and he did
exclaim in the agony of his soul:
7 Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my
father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I
could have joyed with him in the promised land; then were
his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the
commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity;
and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the
Lord—
8 Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would
my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.
9 But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and
that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the
wickedness of my brethren.
10 And behold, now it came to pass that it was upon a
tower, which was in the garden of Nephi, which was by the
highway which led to the chief market, which was in the
city of Zarahemla; therefore, Nephi had bowed himself
upon the tower which was in his garden, which tower was
also near unto the garden gate by which led the highway.
Helaman 11:10-11 – Nephi after people’s repentance
O Lord, behold this people repenteth; and they have swept
away the band of Gadianton from amongst them insomuch
that they have become extinct, and they have concealed
their secret plans in the earth. Now, O Lord, because of this
their humility wilt thou turn away thine anger, and let thine
anger be appeased in the destruction of those wicked men
whom thou hast already destroyed.
Ether 2:18-22 – Brother of Jared, ships’ needs
O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast
commanded me, and I have made the barges according as
thou hast directed me. And behold, O Lord, in them there is
no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish,
for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in
them; therefore we shall perish. …O Lord, behold I have
done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have
prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no
light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall
cross this great water in darkness?
Ether 12:29-36 – Moroni: faith, Mt. Zerin, charity, grace
And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted,
and said: O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that
thou workest unto the children of men according to their
faith; For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin,
Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it
would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men
have faith.
Moroni 9:15 – Mormon, about his people
Behold, my heart cries: Wo unto this people. Come out in
judgment, O God, and hide their sins, and wickedness, and
abominations from before thy face!