"Mormon" prayers

Prayer is the means for us to communicate with God and Mormons pray a lot. On a typical week day, I say a personal prayer when I wake up, we have family prayer before breakfast, I say a prayer before I eat my lunch, we have another family prayer before dinner, and my husband and I pray together before we go to bed. That's five times a day. On Sunday, we pray even more. In addition to the five times, we pray at the beginning and end of sacrament meeting, the beginning and end of Sunday School, and the beginning and end of Relief Society or Priesthood. Then if we attend other meetings, we pray at the beginning and end of those. During sacrament meeting, we listen to the sacrament prayer. That's at least twelve times. Then there's the times when I kneel to pray because I need direction or comfort and often times I have a prayer in my heart, a continual communication with my Heavenly Father.

Most of our prayers follow the pattern of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew. We open in our Heavenly Father's name, usually by saying "Dear Heavenly Father." We express our gratitude for our blessings, we ask for what we need, and we end in Jesus's name with the words, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

We have a few prayers that are said word for word. These are ordinances which are sacred and performed by a priesthood holder. The sacrament prayers, the baptismal prayer (Doctrine & Covenants 20:73, 77, 79), and the endowment and sealing ordinances in the temple have specific wording. For example with the sacrament prayer, if a young man is worthy, he can advance to the office of a priest at the age of sixteen and then bless the sacrament. The bishop listens for the young man to say the correct wording. If even one word is wrong, or omitted, or added, the ordinance is said again. This can be embarrassing for a young man because he's saying it in front of the entire congregation. But we love and respect the young man and his priesthood, and this is a great growing experience. Blessings for a baby to receive a name, blessings of the sick, and confirmation or receiving the Holy Ghost have a few necessary words but then the priesthood holder speaks as he feels inspired.
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As I've pored out my anguish and joys to God, I've been overwhelmed with feelings of love, had ideas and words enter my mind, found a lost driver's license, received confirmation that marrying my husband was a good idea, had my heart softened to forgive, and many more communications from my Heavenly Father.