Although Nephi began with a harsh accusation, he now affirms that the Spirit entices people to pray—indeed, to “pray always.” Nephi here ties prayer to the main topic of his discourse, which is the things that the baptized individual must do. Since he excludes ritual observances (“ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord… ” etc.), prayer is necessary to find out the Spirit’s will.
In Nephi’s context, prayer would be a blessing even for those of his people who do not enter “the way” (baptism). However, for those who accept the new covenant of baptism, prayer is the key to revelation from the Holy Ghost. Nephi is using something that is known to teach about something that is new. His people already know about prayer, but Nephi wants them to pray for the Spirit’s guidance.
Rhetoric/Text: This verse closes the chapter in all editions from 1830 on. However, it ends very abruptly. Chapter 31 had ended with a formal conclusion: “And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.”
The conclusion to chapter 31 summarizes the main points and “seals” them with a ritual “amen.” Nothing similar appears at the end of chapter 32, an unusual departure from Nephi’s typical procedure. Furthermore, this chapter is unusually short, only 426 words, compared to the 988 words in chapter 31. And as a final oddity, this verse actually could serve as the beginning of a new section of the discourse. I suggest possible reasons for this abrupt termination at the beginning of the next chapter.