Alma 36:36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. 37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Brooke’s graduating this weekend, which blesses us with visiting grandparents. As we sat and talked the other day, grandpa says “I believe in prayer.” I couldn’t agree more, I also believe in prayer. It’s one of the greatest examples my parents set for me in my life–watching them pray constantly and about everything. “If it’s not worth praying about it’s not worth worrying about.” With that idea firmly planted in my mind, if anything pops in my head of concern at all, I pray. Grocery line, walking down the street, cleaning my kitchen, working out at the gym. I pray,
One of my favorite prayer stories is a pioneer story and I apologize for not having the name. As the saints were preparing to leave Nauvoo and head west, they all needed shoes. For us that seems crazy that they were saving for shoes, many of us have several pairs of each kind of shoes. This particular girl saved for a long time for her one pair of shoes that would walk her across the plains. Ideally, the pioneers wanted shoes with metal pegs because they lasted through rain storms and other wet conditions. The metal peg shoes were more expensive, so if you didn’t have enough money for metal pegs you could buy shoes with wooden pegs. That’s all the money that this sweet pioneer girl had. It didn’t take long for the pioneers to run into moist conditions. It was a soggy, dreary trip that lasted for months. The wooden peg shoes didn’t hold up well to these conditions. This young pioneer girl arrived in Salt Lake City with her shoes still looking new. Many commented on how her shoes held up, when others had to finish bare foot. Her response was legendary. “They must not have prayed for their shoes every day.”
I love this story because it reminds us of the importance of praying every day about those things in our lives that we worry about. She didn’t wait for her shoes to fall apart, she prayed that they would last. She prayed before the despair came. It’s common for prayers to heighten when trials hit, how much more can be done if we pray before the trial? I also believe that many pioneers prayed for their shoes, this was a huge issue, for conditions were harsh and there were miles to walk. However many shoes wore out! Why?
That’s what I want to focus on today, answers to prayer, or unanswered prayers. I would like to plead the case that unanswered prayers don’t imply unheard prayers. Let’s refer to these prayers as answered differently than we had planned. As a mother of 7 children, I get it. There’s nothing more that my heart desires than for my children’s greatest desires to come true. At the same time, because I have lived through their stages of life, I can more clearly see what gives temporary happiness at the expense of long term struggle. My desire is to help them reach their full potential. I want to protect them from those incidences that will distract and possibly destroy that potential. At times they become frustrated because what they want doesn’t fit what I know to be best for them. I know that if they could see the full picture, or if they were the mother counseling their child, that they would agree with me. However, at the moment it appears that I’m not listening, or that I don’t care. That couldn’t be further from the truth. This helps me understand how answers to prayers work, since we are dealing with the perfect parent who has perfect love for each and everyone of us equally. He’s no respecter of person, which means he loves all inhabitants on the earth regardless of nationality, race, weaknesses, status, height, weight….you name it and His love is equal for all people.
“We have to pray with our eyes on God not on our difficulties.” -Oswald Chambers
Alma tells us to plant seeds of faith, then to nourish it to a tree of faith. Anything we plant and nourish will grow, whether it’s a seed of despair, sadness, or discouragement. If we are going to water a plant we might as well make it faith and trust. Our trials will still be there but they won’t be overgrown and on the forefront. The tree of faith and trust we be large and provide the shade of peace.
My sister gave me the best advice recently, as I am about to move to Arkansas. It’s rather scary. We love the branch, you have all become family. We love Pella, all the kids are happy and have great friends. Chelsea is in the middle of high school. We love our home. The list goes on and on, the decision was made prayerfully, and answered clearly. Nevertheless, I keep reminding myself that sometimes you have to step into the Red Sea before it parts. Or that it’s not always raining when building an ark on dry ground. We are moving forward with faith. Which brings a whole new set of BIG prayers. We need to find a house to live in, while at the same time selling our home. My sister knew that I had been praying hard. She told me, the Lord has heard your prayers. From this point on, only say prayers of gratitude. Thank the Lord for preparing a home for your family, thank him for preparing a family to buy your home. Then let him handle it.
Wow, I can’t believe how relieving this has been. It has brought such peace and assurance to this situation. I’ve applied this same idea to all my BIG “answered differently” prayers. With everyone it has changed my perspective and helped me to feel peace.
Grandpa said this week, it’s not just about seizing the moment, it’s about appreciating every moment–even the hard ones are worth your appreciation because that’s where our growth and experience is the greatest. Why? Because God loves us enough to help us reach our potential, which will require some effort and hard workouts. No elite runner has achieved their success without their share of hard, gut wrenching workouts.
Here are some of my favorite scriptures that when compiled build a sure foundation on why we should trust the Lord!
Alma 26:35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.
This should be enough for us to have full trust in the Lord. He has all the power….all the wisdom….understands all things, comprehends all things…. and is merciful beyond our comprehension. What do we have to fear when God is on our side? Pray hard, work hard, and trust the Lord.
Mathew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
“Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
We are here to be tried and tested so that we can grow and develop, he loves us enough to help us become great! He knows us perfectly! He is in the details of our lives. The small details, and the great details.
In the furnace God may prove thee,
Thence to bring thee forth more bright,
But can never cease to love thee;
Thou art precious in his sight.
God is with thee, God is with thee;
Thou shalt triumph in his might.
Helaman 12:10 And by the power of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley.
11 Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake;
12 Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center.
God’s voice is enough to command the mountains to flatten and the valleys to rise. He only has to speak a miracle and it will happen. This should help us to understand that IF, in the best interest of our lives, he would speak the answer we most desire and it would be done. If that isn’t happening, we might as well not spend any time sulking, because there must be great lessons to be learned or there must be others lives to bless. Brook P. hales explains in his talk “Answers to Prayer” Jospeh’s brothers sold him as a slave to Egypt.I guarantee Joseph was offering some pretty bold intense prayers at this time. However, he must have trusted the Lord and decided to figure out why he was in this situation, because he ended up saving his family from starvation and becoming a great leader in Egypt. Do you think God had a plan for Jospeh? One that he couldn’t see during those rough years when his brothers hated him, and during his years of enslavement.
3 Nephi 18:20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.
Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy, he wants to grant us our greatest desires and our least desires. He promises that if we ask he will as long as it is in accordance with His will. Take note that His will is always what ultimately will bring us the greatest joy, even if we can’t see it.
D&C 98:1 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.
All things will work together for our good. Trust the Lord. Be patient! Find joy even during trial knowing that a God loves you perfectly.
There’s a good chance that if we knew the beginning and the end that our prayers would be aligned with the Lord’s will. He wants nothing more than the best for us. Besides that he never leaves our side, during those tough moment remember that Christ is with you, if not walking beside you then he is carrying you.
“You will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that He was always there beside you.” -Thomas S. Monson
I know not by what methods rare,
But this I know, God answers prayer.
I know that He has given His Word,
Which tells me prayer is always heard,
And will be answered, soon or late.
And so I pray and calmly wait.
I know not if the blessing sought
Will come in just the way I thought;
But leave my prayers with Him alone,
Whose will is wiser than my own,
Assured that He will grant my quest,
Or send some answer far more blest. (Prayer by Eliza M. Hickok)
“Sometimes our prayers are answered quickly with the outcome we hope for. Sometimes our prayers are not answered in the way we hope for, yet with time we learn that God had greater blessings prepared for us than we initially anticipated. And sometimes our righteous petitions to God will not be granted in this life. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “Faith also includes trust in God’s timing.” Brook P. Hals
Alma 37:47 LOOK TO GOD AND LIVE
-Sherri Jorgensen
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