"And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus.
And behold, they began to pray; and they did pray unto Jesus, calling him their Lord and their God.
Father, thou has given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them.
And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one."
In this remarkable chapter the Nephites prepare through the night for the coming of Jesus on the morrow. The multitude that gathers is so great the twelve that were called have to break into separate bodies. From there the twelve teach them to pray. They pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. They pray for the Holy Ghost to be given to them. Then the twelve go down into the water and are baptized. The Holy Ghost does fall upon them and they are encircled by fire. Angels come down and minister unto them. Then Jesus comes and stands in the midst of them and ministered to them. Then he commands his disciples to pray. This is where it is unique. For their prayer now is to Jesus himself and not to the Father, and why is that? I have this in my scripture notes and not really sure where I found it.
"There is no place in scripture where we are taught to pray to Jesus. In this unique instance, however, the disciples offered prayers to the Son instead of the Father. Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggests a reason this occurred. "There was a special reason why this was done in this instance and on a onetime basis. Jesus had already taught them to pray in his name to 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 [1978], 560-61). 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). Furthermore, on this occasion "they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray" (3 Nephi 19:24)
Day 1956
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