Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with asurety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. Ether 12:4
Praying is an act of faith. And at times, it can be difficult to pray. We can become stubborn, or prideful, or convince ourselves that God isn't really listening and we won't recieve an answer to our prayer. But those feelings do not come from God.
"And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." (2 Nephi 32:8-9)
As children of a loving Father in Heaven, He wants to hear from us. Sometimes we don't know what to pray for. But all we have to do is tell God what is in our hearts. We can ask for things that we are in need of, tell Him how we're feeling, thank Him for blessings He's given us, and pray for others. Sometimes it's important that we ask Him for guidance in making important decisions, or ask for help to line our will with His. But what's most important is that we are praying. When we call on Him, it shows that we have faith that He is there and that He is aware of us. Prayer is a commandment given to each of us. By following this commandment, we can recieve many blessings.
President Spencer W. Kimball said, "Why should we pray? Because we are the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, on whom we depend for everything we enjoy. We all are under heavy obligation to our Lord. None of us has reached perfection. None of us should get so busy in our lives that we cannot contemplate with prayer. Prayer is the passport to spiritual power. Prayer is such a privilege—not only to speak to our Father in Heaven, but also to receive love and inspiration from him. At the end of our prayers, we need to do some intense listening—even for several minutes. We have prayed for counsel and help. Now we must “be still, and know that [he is] God.” (Ps. 46:10.)"
I know that our Heavenly Father loves each of us so much, and He does hear and answer our prayers. I have seen many miracles throughout my life because I was willing to turn to Him in earnest prayer. He is there and He's waiting to hear from us.
Life is not always easy. We all go through trials in our lives. But we don't have to get through them alone. When Christ suffered for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, He experienced everything we would ever have to go through., "pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind." (Alma 7:11-12) He can help us through our struggles, because He's been there before. It's always been comforting to me to know that there is someone who truly does understand. We can cast our burdens upon Him, and He will make them light. (Psalms 55:22) That doesn't mean that all of our troubles will just go away, but we will be given peace and strength to get through them. He will comfort us, just as He did with the people of Alma in the Book of Mormon when they relied on Him. (Mosiah 24:11-16) They were good people who were put in bondage. But they continued to pray and excercise their faith. The Lord didn't take their problems away all at once, but eased their burdens. They "submitted cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" and that's when they were set free. If we trust in the Lord and believe He is there for us, we can overcome any obsticle in our path. There is hope in this life, and that hope comes from Christ.
As humans, we all make mistakes at times. And it can be hard to change our lives. But Jesus Christ is our Savior. And through Him we can become sancitifed, or in other words, made holy and free from sin. The only way this is possible is if we excercise faith in Christ and believe in the power of His Atonement.
George S. Tate said:
"The Savior’s atonement places before us the possibility of peace—which in its fullest sense is ultimate wholeness and perfection. Such peace does not depend on external circumstance but grows as we become one with Christ. If we inherit eternal life, we will have “received his image in [our] countenances” (Alma 5:14), we will “be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (Moro. 7:48), and we will mirror back to him the joy and peace of his countenance: “The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” (Num. 6:26.) The peace of Christ is a summation of all beatitude. In my own experience, even a momentary, fleeting refraction of it has left me with an unspeakable sense of being filled, and at the same time with an inconsolable longing to regain his presence."
Through the Atonement, we can have a mighty change of heart and become true disciples of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that Christ was willing to suffer for me, so that I could be forgiven and return to live with my Father in Heaven.
Have you ever pushed yourself farther than you thought you could go? And then recognized the difference it's made in your life? As children of God, we all have divine potential within us, potential to become like Him.We are heirs to His kingdom. (Romans 8:16-17) Sometimes it's hard to see that potential. We become blinded by our own insecurities, stubborness, doubt and fear. But as our Heavenly Father, God can see us for who we really are and what we can become. And He wants us to find that whithin ourselves. However, recognizing our potential doesn't come easily; it takes work. And we can only do it with faith. I'll share a small example. As my mission is coming to an end, I've reflected a lot on how I've reached this point in my life. Growing up, I was pretty shy and quiet. I didn't really enjoy meeting new people or talking to strangers. But I had a testimony of the gospel and I had a desire to share it with others. As I was getting older, I knew that God wanted me to serve a mission. It was a strong feeling that I had, and I couldn't deny it. I struggled with it at times. I remember thinking, "I'm too shy. I can't walk up to random people and start a conversation. I don't know enough about the gospel." But I knew it was the Lord's plan for me and I trusted in Him. So I took a leap of faith and started filling out my mission papers. Four months later, I was on a plane to western New York. Although I knew the Lord would help me, things didn't come easily. It was a gradual process. I still struggled. I had a hard time getting myself to talk to people on the streets. And when I would talk to people about the gospel, I struggled for the words to say. I still asked myself, "Can I really do this?" But I kept praying and moving forward. With the Lord's help, I have slowly begun to find that potential within myself. I'm still far from perfect and I know I still have a lot of room to grow. But I have learned so much about the gospel and I've found that hidden confidence within me. The Lord has used me as an instrument in His hands to help others find the truth. And I'm grateful that He pushed me so much further than I ever would have gone on my own, so I could catch a glimpse of my divine potential.
I know there are so many of you out there with inspiring stories. So if any of you would like to share your experiences, times when you've had faith to stretch yourself and find your potential, please post them here.
President Spencer W. Kimball said, "Why should we pray? Because we are the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, on whom we depend for everything we enjoy. We all are under heavy obligation to our Lord. None of us has reached perfection. None of us should get so busy in our lives that we cannot contemplate with prayer. Prayer is the passport to spiritual power. Prayer is such a privilege—not only to speak to our Father in Heaven, but also to receive love and inspiration from him. At the end of our prayers, we need to do some intense listening—even for several minutes. We have prayed for counsel and help. Now we must “be still, and know that [he is] God.” (Ps. 46:10.) "
