Many of the answers I cherish most are the answers that take the longest time and the most work. These are the experiences that help me to not just know about who God is, but to know that God is. These are the experiences that help me to know Him by building a relationship with Him. These are the experiences that have changed and shaped me. These are the experiences through which God has taught me who I am and that He has a plan for me.
Every year for New Years I choose a scripture to really study and apply throughout the year. One that I seek to write in my heart, soul, mind, and actions. This year’s scripture is Matt 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek 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.”
Essential to asking and receiving is prayer. Line upon line and precept upon precept (2 Nephi 28:30) I have, and am still learning, how to communicate with and build a relationship with God through prayer. My earliest memory of prayer is kneeling by the bedside as my Mom taught me how to pray. I don’t know how old I was, but I remember that she gave me words to say and I repeated them. I remember how I felt. I remember feeling that my Mom loved me and that God loved me. I felt the Spirit witness to me something sacred. I remember family prayers that turned into a family laughing fit surrounding my parents bed. My Dad was pretty good at keeping a straight face unless my Mom got involved and then it was game over. My Dad woke up with me before my 5 a.m. job every summer in high school to have prayers with me before I left the house. I often found my Mom on her knees in her room and my Dad praying early mornings next to his desk as he prepared to study. We prayed before every meal, before early morning family scripture study, before learning in our home together, before family council, before fasting, etc. Prayer was a way of life in my home growing up.
As I got older my prayers became deeper and more heartfelt as I had important decisions to make. When I had something of significance on my mind and would go to my parents for advice I didn’t always welcome the response, “Have you prayed about it?” I wanted them to just give me good advise and take me to the right answer. I learned early on that my parents were not going to give me the answers because they wanted me to learn to receive my own answers through faith, work, and submission. They would counsel with me, direct me to God’s word, help me think through the decision making process, and then express trust that I could make correct decisions with the Lord. I learned early on that what I wanted was not always what the Lord wanted. I repetitively learn this lesson. I also learned that following his counsel would never lead me astray and his way is always much better than mine. He often has me struggle to get answers, sometimes the answers don’t make sense, and sometimes I don’t feel I get an answer at all. At times when I have felt answers withheld, he has sent confirmations down the road, sometimes years down the road. Having these previous experiences helps me be patient for current answers I am seeking. Some prayers I offer are answered immediately and very clearly. Many of the answers I cherish most are the answers that take the longest time and the most work. These are the experiences that help me to not just know about who God is, but to know that God is. These are the experiences that help me to know Him by building a relationship with Him. These are the experiences that have changed and shaped me. These are the experiences through which God has taught me who I am and that He has a plan for me. His way has been, and always will be, the right way and the best way.
Prayer is unbound by time or miles. I felt prayers lift and strengthen me when I was halfway around the world and knew my family and friends were praying for me. I still feel the effect of others prayers in my behalf strengthen me, lift me, and give me peace. Prayer connects us to those we love that we cannot be near and that we desire to help but have limited power to do so. I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Malaysia and Singapore. After 17 months in the jungles of Malaysia I was asked to spend my last seven weeks in Singapore. As my flight to Singapore left Malaysia headed toward Singapore I remember looking down at the jungle and rivers with images of faces that I had grown to love and cherish flashing through my mind. Many people that I had been privileged to witness their first prayer. Just as my Mom knelt with me and taught me words to say, we had knelt together and learned to pray. Through prayer they came to know that God existed, they were His children, God’s truth has been restored, and they can receive divine guidance in their lives. They learned they were never alone. Yet, as I left I questioned, what was going to happen to them? Who was going to take care of them? Will they stay strong in their beliefs? I opened the Book of Mormon to Alma 26 as I pondered because Alma said how I felt much better than I could express. Verse 7 had the answer “But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.” These people were and still are in the same hands I found them in, God’s. God answers prayers for others across miles and when I pray for them they don’t seem quite as far. He wants their happiness much more than I, or even they, do. Sometimes when I pray for them I imagine his hands lifting, guiding, and comforting them. I received yet another witness that God is over all and that He often answers our prayers through scriptures.
The more I experience and come to know God, the more I can’t help but pray to Him and put my faith in Him. I’ve been studying 3 Nephi 19 this week and the patterns of prayer Christ teaches there. It has increased my desire to become more perfect in prayer. I can’t become like God without the aid of prayer. To pray perfectly we must pray with the heart and mind of Christ. Prayer educates our desires and perfects us as we seek to align ourselves with God and pray as directed by the Holy Ghost (see 2 Nephi 32:1-5 and 3 Nephi 19:24). “If the question should be asked, what sense is there in prayer if God already knows our needs and in effect is speaking through us to himself, then the answer is the same answer that applies to all that he expects of us: He wants us to be involved, to have the experience, to make the effort, knowing that only in this way do we really understand, commit our hearts, and grow.” (Marian D. Hanks Preparation for Prayer) I need prayer. When I pray I know that I am perfectly understood, even if I can’t express my feelings in words. When I pray I know I’m not alone. When I pray, no matter where I am, I feel at home. Through prayer I’ve felt the power of the Atonement cleanse me and enable me. Through prayer I have been guided and directed. Through prayer I’ve come to know my Father in Heaven and feel of His constant love. Prayer changes the way I feel, the way I live, and who I am becoming.
Marvin J. Ashton said in a talk entitled Personal Prayers, “All of our thoughts should be heaven oriented. Victor Hugo once said, ‘Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.’ Certainly every soul has a sincere desire to pray. Personal prayer is a sign of strength. Personal prayer is a sign of dependency. Personal prayer is an acknowledgement of someone greater whose power and guidance are needed.” I need God’s guidance and strength in my life. I want to become one with my Father in Heaven, the Savior, and the Holy Ghost who all participate and act as one every time I pray (See BD – “Prayer” paragraph 7). I have learned a lot about prayer since the first prayers I offered as a child and I know I have much more to learn. I am grateful for a Father who patiently and lovingly teaches me through His sweet gift of prayer.
How is prayer deepening your relationship with God? How is prayer shaping you?
Please share your thoughts or experience below!
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