Prayers

I am at a place in my life where I can look back over many of my important life events and see them in the context of a greater whole.

I have been struck recently with the number prayers that I have had answered throughout my life, sometimes in rather remarkable and immediate ways, other times in ways that took rather significant amounts of time to realize.

Going back in my memory, the first that I remember an answer to prayer occurring was around the time that my family moved to Santaquin, UT--so about 1971. I would have been about 12 years old.

I remember feeling deeply lonely one night due to the move, because I didn't have any friends yet and everything seemed so different to me.  I remember praying and expressing my feelings of sadness and loneliness in my prayer. I said to Heavenly Father,  "I really need a friend right now. Would you be my friend?"  The feeling I got then was like being enveloped in light and warmth.  It was so overwhelming and powerful that it scared me a little.  I thought an angel might be about to appear and I was a bit nervous about that. I got up and went into the bathroom.  I had tears running down my face and I very much needed a tissue, but I knew from that time on that Heavenly Father was, and wanted to be my friend.

The next time I had a prayer answered was when my Dad was Bishop.  It would have been a year or two later perhaps.  I was working on personal progress for Young Womens, which was then called MIA (Mutual Improvement Association).  I had started reading the Book of Mormon, and was trying to pray for a witness of the truthfulness of the book.  I was trying to get a spiritual confirmation, but nothing was happening.  I had a personal progress interview with my Dad and we were discussing my testimony.  I guess I explained the troubles I was having, because he said this to me about gaining a testimony: "Sometimes we are standing in the rain and we're asking Heavenly Father if it's raining." That's when my witness came. The spirit testified to my spirit in that moment that I knew, that I already knew the gospel was true and that the Book of Mormon was true--I didn't really need to seek another witness--but I could, in confidence, rely on that which I already believed to be true--because it was.




I am reading a book called "journey to the Veil" by John Pontius. I really am learning a lot from him. I liked the concept I read this morning: "This principle of asking with complete faith for those things that we have already been promised is of such transcendent and magnificent power in parting the veil that Moroni actually says it twice. (Ether 12:19-21) We take the teachings we receive and live them in our lives. . . Then we return in mighty prayer and having been obedient and faithful in all things, we courageously petition the Lord with perfect faith because He, the God of salvation promised us that we could. . . we petition the Lord in mighty, mighty, prayer--and we receive the promises." I recognize this pattern in my life. There have been times that I have asked for a specific blessing based on my faithfulness, and I have always received (generally rather quickly) the blessings I petitioned for. A few times I had to wait for them, but often I had already passed through the trial and was ready to receive the blessing--I just had to ask. Some examples: When I asked for an answer to whether or not I should go on a mission--I used a patriarchal blessing promise to get that answer, and it was immediate. When I wanted to meet my future husband, I used my mission efforts, and my Patriarchal Blessing promise to pull that blessing down, and it happened almost immediately. When I desired to move from Vegas for the protection of my faith and the faith of my children, I prayed for that blessing, and it happened very quickly afterwards. When I prayed that Kirby would return to activity in the church and to re-enter the temple, I was told to be patient--and it took 10 years--but it was fulfilled exactly as I was told it would occur--exactly. When I was worried about Bethany being in the eye of the hurricane on her mission, I was told to pray for angels, and I am convinced that angels were there. If you look in your own life, you will start to see how your prayers are answered. If you have been promised blessings, you have the right to call them down from heaven if you have shown faithfulness in following the commandments and feel that you are ready to receive those blessings. This is a true principle.