The gift of prayer
She says she wants to talk to children, but she’s speaking to me.
- Pray to know what God is like
- Pray to grow to become like Him
- Pray to show His love to others
Often the best question to ask when facing challenges is not “why” but “what”. What can you do? What can you learn?
Do you like to receive gifts? I want to talk to you about a very special gift that Heavenly Father has given to you to help you. It is the gift of prayer. What a blessing prayer is! We can talk to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere.
What gifts can you pray for? There are many, but today I want to share three:
- Pray to know.
- Pray to grow.
- Pray to show.
I like thinking of those as gifts: the gift to know what you need to know—especially things of testimony; the gift to grow—especially to become more like Christ; and the gift to show the love of God to those around us.
Sometimes you may want to know why something hard is happening in your life or why you didn’t receive a blessing you prayed for. Often the best question to ask Heavenly Father is not why but what.
Do you remember when Nephi and his family were hungry while they were traveling in the wilderness? When Nephi and his brothers went to hunt for food, Nephi broke his bow. But he didn’t ask why.
Nephi made a new bow and asked his father, Lehi, where he could go to get food. Lehi prayed, and the Lord showed them where Nephi could go. Heavenly Father will guide you when you ask Him what you can do and what you can learn.
It was undoubtedly helpful that Nephi used his agency to do what he could think to do. He didn’t simply pay for help and wait for the Lord to tell him the “right” next step.
For my whole life I prayed that my father would become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even as a young girl, I knew how many blessings he could receive. Our family could receive the blessings of being sealed for eternity. My family, friends, and I prayed often for him, but he didn’t join the Church. Heavenly Father does not force anyone to make a choice. He can send us answers to our prayers in other ways.
I believe this is the same kind of non-answer that has been a stumbling block to Bex.
I invite you to pray to know Heavenly Father is there, pray to grow to become like Him, and pray to show His love to others. I know He lives and loves you.
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