Answers To Prayer

I have known people throughout my life that have struggled with getting answers to prayer.  What did it really feel like?  Was that really an answer? 

The Lord promises that if we sincerely ask, with faith and real intent, he will answer.  This promise is found in Moroni 10 in the Book of Mormon.

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things

President Boyd K. Packer said: “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. … While we speak of ‘listening’ to the whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by saying, ‘I had a feeling… This voice of the Spirit speaks gently, prompting you what to do or what to say, or it may caution or warn you.” (Ensign, Nov 1994, 60.)

If you feel like you have not received an answer to a prayer.  Richard G. Scott counsels us to “carefully look for evidence in your own life of His having already answered you.

To help each of us recognize answers given, the Lord said: 'If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?'" (D&C 6:22–23; italics added). (Richard G. Scott, "Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer", Ensign, Nov. 1989, 30).

The Lord can answer prayers with feelings of peace, a burning, a stupor of thought, or through other people.  Sometimes he withholds an answer.

Elder Scott explains “When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act.”

Back when I was 19,  I was taking the Temple Preparation classes on Sunday afternoons.  One Sunday afternoon as I was driving home after the class a thought came into my head.  I should go visit Caroline.  Caroline was a girl in my ward who was a year older than me.  Since we didn’t have a lot of youth in my ward I knew all of the youth pretty well.  I had never randomly showed up at her house but decided to this day.

I showed up and she answered the door.  Her parents and her sisters weren’t there so we sat in the living room and just talked.  I don’t remember it being a particularly enlightening conversation but we had a good conversation and I went home.

A few days later I received and email from her.  She told me that I was an answer to her prayer.  Surprised, I continued reading.  She told me that she was having a really bad day.  No one was home and she was feeling like no one cared about her.  She decided to pray and ask for comfort.  She knelt down and said a prayer.  Right after she concluded her prayer, a knock came at the door.  There I was on her doorstep not knowing what had just happened and not knowing that she was feeling lonely.  She told me that talking to me made her feel comforted and loved.

To me, that was a very powerful email.  To me it felt impossible that was just a coincidence.  The Lord had used me to answer a prayer and comfort someone.  I had no idea it was going on at the time.  I am very grateful that Caroline wrote me that email and decided to share that with me.  It turned a random visit to a friend into a very profound experience for me and greatly strengthened my testimony of prayer.

 Throughout my life I’ve had many answers to prayers.  Sometimes the questions were as simple as: “I can’t find something important, please help me find it”, to questions as life changing as “is this the girl?  Should I ask her to marry me?”  Sometimes the answer was a thought and a feeling, sometimes I found what I was looking for when I thought I had looked everywhere, or sometimes it was just a feeling of peace when I was feeling overwhelmed with a decision. 

Other times I’ve had prayers go unanswered or I didn’t listen to the answer I received.  I know that Heavenly Father loves us.  He knows us individually.  He gives us the answers we need when we ask with faith, sincerity, and real intent. 

*This is a lesson I put together for a recent Home Evening Group.  One of the people who attended sent me the following email the next day: "Your lesson last night was really good and touched on so many things I have been thinking about the past few days.  You brought a wonderful spirit to our FHE and I appreciate your time and effort!  You were an answer to my prayers!"