In His Time and in His Way

There have been many times in my life where I have felt that I have prayed with faith, for a righteous cause, and with good intention, only to have whatever I was praying for not come to pass. I am sure that this is a feeling most of you have had in your lives at some point; we've been taught that when we pray with faith, every single prayer that we offer will be answered. So why does it seem like at times we receive a miraculous answer right away (something like the heavenly visit in this picture) and sometimes it seems like we never receive one?

I had been pondering this exact thought just prior to last October's General Conference* (see note at the bottom of the page). Even though I know that God hears and answers every one of our prayers, sometimes it is hard for me to see exactly how it has happened in my life. With a desire to understand more about the power of prayer and how I could better understand the answers I was receiving, I sat down to watch and learn from our modern-day prophets and apostles.

Not long after the conference began, Elder David A. Bednar gave a magnificent talk entitled "The Windows of Heaven." While not speaking directly on the subject of prayer, Elder Bednar gave me a much better idea of how I needed to begin to look for the Hand of God in my life in the answers to my prayers.

Sometimes, when we ask for something righteous, as I have already mentioned above, we will receive it almost immediately. A starving family might pray for some bread and a compassionate neighbor will be inspired to bring some over; A sick family member will be made well though our prayers; A lost possession will be found, and the list goes on and on. However, at least for me, I have noticed that these type of answers to my prayers are far less common and do not occur as regularly. Does this mean that God is not answering our prayers if we do not receive an answer such as this right away? Does it mean he does not care?

I would suggest that rather than think these thoughts, we ought to look just a little harder for the Hand of God in our lives. God knows our needs, and he will always answer the prayers of the righteous, but what are some of the ways that he will answer them?

One thing I have noticed is that if it is something we can do for ourselves, usually God is not going to do it for us. That would deprive us of the opportunity to learn and grow, to gain valuable life experience and learn to trust in him. More often than not, instead of changing the situation drastically, he will give us the tools that we need to be able to overcome and conquer any obstacle.. At times this can be almost imperceptible, and as I've said before if we are not actively looking for it we may feel as if our prayers have not been answered. But I can't even begin to count how many times I have prayed for help on a test, and instead of giving me the answers I've been blessed to be able to study just a little better; I've prayed to be able to find people to teach, and I've been blessed instead with an increased desire to go out and find people; I've prayed for a person to have a better day and been blessed with an idea of how to make that happen; I've prayed for the rain to stop and somebody I've run into has given me an umbrella; I've prayed for comfort and peace and been blessed by people around me who know what to say and how to love in order to help me with my needs.

You may have seen this principle in your life as well! You pray that God will help you find a job, and he introduces you to someone who helps you with your resume, or gives you more strength and energy to look; you pray that you will have a good day, and notice yourself taking more note of all the good things that happen and not focusing on the bad; you pray that your family will get along and you are given more of God's love to help them feel love and hope; the list is endless.

As we search for the Hand of God in our lives, I promise you will begin to realize that every righteous prayer of our hearts has and will be answered. It is not always in the way that we want, it may not always seem miraculous, but as we look for it we will be overwhelmed by gratitude for what the Lord has given us. So go and find out what God has done for you today!

*In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, every 6 months we gather from around the world, in person, by radio, by television, and by internet, and we listen to living prophets and apostles as they share inspired counsels and revelations that they have received with all who participate. Broadcast in many different languages to many different countries, it is a truly inspiring and unifying gathering of the church all around the world. For more information, please visit General Conference.