Praying For Answers

One thing that I love the most about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that as I study and learn different topics, they all build on each other. (Isaiah 28:10, 2 Nephi 28:30) Someone asked a question on my FB news feed the other day and my answer came from a plethora of things that I had been studying lately. The point that I wanted to make came into focus as all these little things came together as my answer. I love it when that happens!

Today I studied a talk by Elder James B. Martino called Turn To Him and Answers Will Come. He discussed what conditions need to happen in order for God to answer our prayers. Mainly, if we don't have a sincere heart and real intent, He isn't going to answer merely on curiosity. As in the last few posts, the outcome depends on how prepared we are! What are you doing in preparation to asking Heavenly Father something? There are some promises and blessings given if we come prepared to ask our God questions.

Preparations

• Obedience to commandments
• Remember past spiritual experiences
• Soften your heart and ask in faith, believing you will get your answer
• Continue to hold fast to the iron rod by daily scripture study
• Turn To Him
• Call on the Lord through prayer and fasting
• Be ready to act on promptings

Promises and Blessings

• Your answer will come and be made known unto you -- sometimes right away, sometimes not as an event but as a process
• Feelings of love and peace from the Savior
• Words of Christ will tell you what you should do
• Doors of revelation will open
• You will be susceptible to spiritual promptings
• Strengthened to withstand temptation to murmur and doubt
• Faithfulness will grow

If we seek an answer to something, it is our responsibility to act on any promptings we receive. As we do so, answers will come as we act on faith.

...work without faith is dead. We must have faith with works to receive answers.

When we show forth effort on our part, Heavenly Father will reach out to us. We do our part, He does his. It is easier to help someone else when you see they are trying their best to accomplish something. But it is harder to help someone if they don't want to help themselves. When we act upon promptings or show faith in going forward, I know our Heavenly Father is able to make up the difference and help us gain that answer or reach that goal that we are seeking.

When I was a teenager in the Young Women's program, I had the chance to go to a few Especially For Youth camps. I had some pretty spiritual experiences while there. While I attended them, those spiritual experiences helped solidify my testimony of who I am and where I wanted to go. I learned that I was a daughter of God and my goal was to enter the temple with my eternal companion. At times when I feel less than what I feel I should, I remember that spiritual experience. That foundation of my testimony is what kept me going and helped me to not give up when I felt like everything around me was falling apart. I've had several ups and downs since that experience and every time, I think back on it. It strengthens me to know that I can get through anything because I am a daughter of God who loves me. It is so important to have that knowledge. When we have a strong foundation to our faith, it can withstand even the hardest of times. Heavenly Father promises us that!

Can you remember a time when you had a powerful spiritual experience? Do you remember that and hold on to that testimony of it when times get hard?

...to all of us, if you "have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" If you do not feel it now, you can feel it again...

What do we need to change in order to feel that redeeming love again?

FHE: Holy Ghost Present When Speaking Truth

Last night we had an Family Home Evening lesson on the Holy Ghost. When my oldest daughter and I went on our last temple trip, we visited the Independence MO Visitor's Center before we went. The Sister missionaries bore their testimony at the end of their presentation by saying they knew the Holy Ghost was there that day as we learned of the plan of salvation and as we discussed faith of the Saints to press forward despite the persecution of the mobs that plagued them.

That thought really struck me. That whenever we speak of truth, read truth or ponder truth, the Spirit is there with us because the Holy Ghost is one that testifies of truth. That reminded me of something I learned in Seminary way back when. My seminary teacher taught us that whenever we open up our scriptures, that act alone invites the Spirit into our lives. 

My family then discussed around the table of times when opening up our scriptures brought the Spirit. My mom (Lola to my kids) told about a time when one of my brothers had a serious question on how to treat a boy that had some disabilities. She didn't know the answer but when she went to open her scriptures, it opened right up to the one that says loving one another as He has loved you. And it applied well to answer his question. The answer didn't come from Lola, it came from the Spirit teaching her and my brother truth as the scripture answered their question.  Mema also talked about a time when she was at a work party and found out that one of her close friends died in a car accident that night. She was heartbroken. She went into a room to process the information and grieve in private. She opened up her scriptures. She didn't read anything but when she did open them, a feeling of peace, comfort and love came to her. These calming feelings helped her know that everything would be ok and that the plan of salvation is there so she could see her friend again. Her act of opening her scriptures helped bring that peace. 

I love how all the talks and lessons we have from General Conference, Sacrament, primary and sharing time all flow together. Like line upon line, precept upon precept. We learned in primary that as we feast upon the words of Christ (the scriptures), we can learn more of Christ, draw closer to Him, find scripture power to overcome temptations and gain a greater desire to do what is right. In my primary lesson, we asked how to gain a testimony of Christ. Well, exactly as said in Primary, we feast upon the words of Christ so we may learn about Him and as we learn more about Him, we can gain a testimony of the Him. We listen to His Prophets so we can better know how to obey the commandments and better ourselves so that we may know how to choose the better choices. We learn how to better keep the Sabbath Day holy because that is what the Prophet and Apostles have been speaking about lately. We ask questions on how we can do that when they're just kids and not the adults making the decisions. We ask questions on how to better strengthen our family on the Sabbath. We ask questions on how to help our family members want to strengthen their family relationships when it seems they don't want to. 

Do you see the spiral of learning just one piece of truth can bring? Do you see where one piece of truth can lead us down many aspects of learning? Do you see how it is possible to always have room for improvement? Do you see that we can learn how to make the be BEST choices when we can choose between good, better and best?

I love that as a follower of Christ, I have the ability to invite a member of the Godhead into my life for guidance or comfort. I know that when I pray for guidance with my kids, the Spirit will whisper to me better choices to make when I feel like what I'm doing isn't working. I love that as I pray to reach my primary kids during my lesson, that I am able to do so and help them to open up to me so that THEY can receive guidance and comfort in their situations. I love that when I open up my scriptures, that I can have the Spirit come to me as I ponder the teachings of Christ. 

Sometimes it is hard to feel like we live our lives in a such a way that we have the Spirit be with us at all times. Or being righteous 100% of the time is attainable. We don't always, because we are not perfect. Although it is possible to try our best at it. Our daily actions either invite the Spirit or our actions push it away. What are you doing today to invite the Spirit into your life?