The Lord Seeth Fit to Try His People’s Faith
The following account is from the life of Elder Gene R. Cook. Before being called as a General Authority the Cook's had their patience and faith tired. This account shows how the Lord deals with His people, how He trieth their faith and then rewards them according to their faithfulness.
...the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Mosiah 23:21
Let me share a personal experience that taught us to better trust in the Lord even in the face of challenges and trials. Perhaps this example will start us at the beginning, before children arrive in a family on earth.
After my mission, I had a great desire to be married. Part of that feeling came from a young lady who waited two and a half years for me. More importantly, though, I had studied the scriptures enough to know, in some measure, the great value of being married and raising a family.
Spending (quality) Time with the Lord
Spending time with the Lord is a worthy goal. Spending quality time with the Lord is even better. “Really,” says an inquisitive mind, “what’s the difference?” Good question, I’m glad you asked it.
Relationships are built in many ways, but “time” is a primary ingredient. Time to relationships, is like water to a flower, no matter what else we do right, without water a flower won’t grow; and “quality time” is like Miracle Grow plant food, it helps the flower thrive. Water and plant food used correctly work wonders with a flower.
Embracing Our Individual & Unique Gift of the Holy Ghost
I’ve felt a desire to share some sacred experiences the Lord has given me. My whole purpose in sharing these experiences is to testify of Jesus Christ and the reality of the atonement. I hope by testifying of these things others will be strengthened spiritually and will be motivated to follow the Savior with full purpose of heart and receive all that He has for them.
The greatest concern I have is that those who read about my experiences will expect to receive the exact same experience in their life. I’m not sure it works that way. I think we need to explore our own unique gift of the Holy Ghost and learn how grow in it.
My ward leaders told me that after I was baptized I would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. I was nine years old and believed what they said. My dad was not a member and my mother was inactive, but both of them, at the urging of our ward leaders took me to the Salt Lake Tabernacle to be baptized.
There were about 30 or 40 people there. We were told to wait until my name was called. As we set there someone announced that the ordinance of baptism was sacred and that everyone there should have pure thoughts. In a few minutes a man entered the font and several young people were baptized. I immediately became concerned by what I saw. My thoughts were not about the Holy Ghost but about what happened when the newly baptized person exited the font. The wet white gown clung to them and revealed a lot of anatomy. I determined then and there that when my turn came I wasn't going to reveal myself.
Latter Day Saints Who Lose Faith
Cruising the Bloggernacle in recent weeks, I’ve read much on the topic of faith. Much of what I’ve read related to the lost of faith. A few commenters even shared their “testimony” of deconversion. Here is a sampling:
One writer related how at a young age she “quite unexpectedly”, became an atheist.
A long time active member of the church relates how she lost her faith when she began to study contradictions and problems with church history and doctrine, and when no one could provide answers—her faith was shattered.
There were others who wrote about suffering with anemic faith:
Reflections on Receiving Answers to Prayer
Recently I reviewed my journal and relived some spiritual experiences. I noted a couple of things that I thought might be interesting to the readers of this blog. Let me know your thoughts and experience on this subject.
Some spiritual experiences are accompanied by a feeling of joy, sometimes the presence of joy is complete, meaning, there isn’t room to experience more joy, while other spiritual experiences are not accompanied by joy. They are both spiritual experiences, but are different.
Example of Faith: Ministering Angel Intervenes
I enjoy reading accounts from the Ensign magazine of member prayers being answered.
Mette Hansen, "‘Save My Life ... Comfort My Children'," Ensign, Sept. 1987, 52-53
It was twilight on a cold and rainy October day in 1968, and I was riding my bicycle home from work in Copenhagen, Denmark. My husband was in Canada on an assignment at that time, and I was alone with two children, a boy ten and a girl seven years old.
On my way home I had to cross a very busy four-lane road with a bicycle lane. For safety, I had made it a habit to get off my bike and walk it across the intersection. On this particular day I got halfway across the street and stopped in the middle to let the cars go by. A small car stopped in the lane to my right, and the driver signaled for me to cross. A big truck stopped in the lane beside the small car, and the truck driver also signaled to me, so I continued across the street. Just as I passed the truck I saw a Volkswagen coming toward me, illegally in the bicycle track, at full speed. There was no time for me to escape, either backward or forward.
In that split second, countless thoughts of my children, my husband, my widowed mother, and my job flashed through my mind, and I prayed more fervently than ever before: "Please, dear Lord, whatever happens-spare my life."
Receiving Answers to our Prayers-Part 3 Receiving and Recognizing Answers
The purpose of prayer is to access things of the spirit. We are repeatedly taught in the scripture that the Lord will answer our prayers. Receiving and recognizing answers to our prayers is the topic of this post.
Like many of you reading this post, I have had many prayers answered.[1] Therefore, I am familiar with the workings of the spirit. It takes time and experience to grow in our ability to recognize answers. Based on my experiences, most prayers are answered by the subtle workings of the spirit.[2] However, these soft, delicate answers can be misinterpreted.[3] The solution to this problem, in my opinion, is to cry unto the Lord for help, asking that you can know his will and avoid mistakes. Notice the use of the word "cry"[4]. If you think that crying unto the Lord is a little over the top, then I suggest you read more carefully from the scriptures. The scriptures portray the prophets frequenting "crying unto the Lord" to gain answers to their prayers.
I believe the Lord is anxious to answer our prayers and to teach us of His ways, however, we are required to obey the law upon which blessings are predicated.
There are many ways to improve our ability to receive and recognize answers to our prayers. I would like to offer the following ideas that I believe are essential to opening the channels of communication between ourselves and our Heavenly Father.
Receiving Answers to our Prayers-Part 2 A Matter of Desire
There is nothing in life as sublime as receiving an answer to prayer! This is especially true if we have been seeking the Lord with all our heart on a matter of deepest import for a prolonged period of time. To experience an answer to prayer is to have our confidence wax strong in the presence of the Lord. I hope that all who read this have had this sublime experience, or will have a desire to have such an experience in the future.Wherever we're at in receiving answers to our prayers, the fact remains that we can increase our sensitivity to the things of the spirit---if we desire to. The word "desire" is very important when it comes to the topic of prayer. The scripture teach we "receive according to our desires[1]."
Our desires are the key to receiving answers to prayer. There are many things that can be classified as either barriers or facilitators to receiving answers to our prayers. In my opinion, the primary barrier to receiving answers to our prayers is the lack of desire, and conversely, desire is the preeminent facilitator to opening the channels of communication with Heavenly Father.
Followers of Christ who live in prosperous circumstances[2] can be challenged by the lack of desire to obtain answers to their prayers. They already feel blessed. They may not need anything. They feel they know all they need to know. So day by day they may be offering up prayers that are perfunctory. I wonder if it would be better not to pray at all, as to offer up routine, hasty, superficial prayers to our Father in Heaven[3].
The problem with the prosperous perfunctory offerer of prayers is that one day he will have a real need which will sponsors genuine desire, but he will have to deal with his grade school diploma in prayer because he esteemed lightly the things of the spirit[4].
Receiving Answers to our Prayers-Part 1 A Problem with Experts?
Before reading on I suggest you read Gene R. Cook's Challenge , Nov 11, 2007 blog.To start a discussion on prayer I feel it is important to underscore a fact that we experience everyday. People differ in their abilities. To illustrate this consider two disparate activities; running a 5K race and taking an algebra class. Suppose there are 100 people participating in each endeavor. What would you expect to happen as the race and the math class progressed? Based on my experience, I would expect there would be a range of abilities manifest in both efforts; fast and slow runners, fast and slow students-with the majority being average.
I think it is safe to say that the same is true when it comes to our abilities to receive answers to prayer[1]. The point I want to make is that even though we may be at different places in our abilities to receive answers to prayer, it is important to understand that we all have access to our Heavenly Father. We are promised that our prayers will be answered, but how, and when, they are answered can vary[2].
If you buy into the idea that our individual ability to receive answers to prayers varies from person to person, and that we can start from wherever we're at and grow in this important talent, then the question becomes-"What can I do today to improve my ability to receive answers to my prayers?
One answer to this question is, "If you're not happy with your ability to receive answers to your prayers, then you know if you keep doing the same thing, you will keep getting the same results-something needs to change to get better results".
Gene R. Cook’s Challenge
Years ago at a Stake meeting I heard Gene R Cook talk about a book he was to publish. It was to be on the subject of receiving answers to our prayers. For the next two hours he spoke on this idea. To introduce his subject he did the most interesting thing I have ever heard in a church meeting. He issued a challenge to all those in attendance to take out a pen and paper and write down something they wanted from the Lord. There were about 250 people at the meeting and he asked us to do this several times until we complied.
Instead of hearing what he did next from my account—I have taken the following from page 12-13 of his book, Receiving Answers to our Prayers which was published the following year. This is what he said that evening.
“To me, knowledge is not nearly as important as knowledge combined with the willingness to apply it. When we learn, then, we must decide to repent, to exercise faith, and to do whatever else is required to make what we've learned operational in our lives.
Here's what I'd like you to do. Get a piece of paper and write on it something very personal that you want from the Lord—something you want very much. Don't just pick something easy. The harder it is, the better, so you can have a real experience with faith. Maybe you're concerned about your spouse. Maybe one of your children has rejected what you've taught him, and you're worried. Maybe you're struggling with a health problem. Maybe you're in the midst of great financial troubles. Maybe you just want more faith, more testimony, more strength to be able to repent and change, more ability to overcome a personal weakness. Write your desire on a piece of paper, and work on it as you proceed through this book.
Don't think you're not good enough to receive the Lord's help. As I travel around the world I meet too many members of the Church who think they can never qualify to receive answers to prayer. They say, "Sure, if I were a General Authority or the stake president or the bishop I could get answers, but I'm too . . . [fill in the blank]."