A Few Thoughts On Prayer

I was reading the visiting teaching message and came across a Bednar quote:
"Meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as 'a form of work,...is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings'. We press forward and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer, after we say 'amen,' by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father". The whole quote was meaningful for me, but I specifically felt impressed with prayer being a form or work. Who would thing that prayer is a form of work? I mean yes, it does require effort. When we pray we are acknowledging our Father's existence, we are exercising faith, it is a confession of sin and a request for forgiveness, a plea, and an opportunity for thanksgiving. But I consider that a blessing in itself: the opportunity to plead with deity on our behalf and the behalf of our families. But then I realized we are to pray with "all energy of heart (Moroni 7:48)". All energy? That could be exhausting. I know in dire times of need I have plead and plead and been exhausted afterwords. But we are to be just as sincere in all our prayers. Not just the ones when we are in a stressful situation. We are to pray with all our energy. I believe when we do this, when we supplicate, turn our will to his, and listen, it opens the door for spiritual experiences (MT 7:7-8 :Ask, and it shall be bgiven you; cseek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.). They will be poured out upon our heads. And spiritual experiences can be exhausting in themselves! But they will not come "until after the trial of [our] faith" (Ether 12:6), meaning we must put forth the effort. That must be exhausting too! Our faith can be tested daily. Therefore, it can be strengthened daily. Remember, we must pray always (D&C 10:5).
I think that is what helped me the most my first semester of school. I constantly was thanking my Heavenly Father for the things around me. If I got out of class early, I thanked him. If I met someone that day I thanked him. I think I thanked him everyday for my room mates. I thanked him for opportunities I had. I thanked him for the time I was managing. I thanked him for the food I ate. I thanked him for the "beauty of the earth". Just anything that was put in my path, I considered a direct blessing from heaven. And that first semester was one of the best times of my life because I was acknowledging my Father's hand in everything around me. I was putting faith in him.
I know that when we trust in him, he will direct our paths for good. I know that he won't desert us. He can't, because he engraved us upon the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16). I know he can give comfort that only he can give.
If we commit to pray always, his spirit will be allowed to stay with us, and we will Never be Alone.