This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the April 1993 Conference.
Sam had an atheist friend some time ago who liked to tell the story of how one night he prayed all night for something he desperately needed. At the end of the night he had felt nothing, and then was when he "knew" that there was no God.
Thinking about that always makes me sad. I can understand how Sam's friend felt. I wish his prayer had been answered when he wanted it to. But I also know how much my relationship with God has grown through the times I have continued to pray…after that point of despair. So I loved this quote from Elder Pinegar's talk on prayer:
Sometimes, when our prayers are not answered as we desire, we may feel the Lord has rejected us or that our prayer was in vain. We may begin to doubt our worthiness before God, or even the reality and power of prayer. That is when we must continue to pray with patience and faith and to listen for that peace.
I especially like the reminder that even when it's our own worthiness we doubt, there is no reason to stop our efforts. So often I have found that joy and mercy was closer than I could have imagined. Heavenly Father just wants us to keep praying, and we learn so many things about ourselves—and Him—when we do! I wish Sam's friend had just kept trying a little longer. It isn't too late. Maybe someday he will!
This reminds me of one of the things that stood out to me from it just recent conference! It was when Ballard said: “The personal growth one can achieve now while waiting upon the Lord and His promises is an invaluable, sacred element of His plan for each one of us.”
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, I noticed that quote too! I thought it was interesting that he gave basically his whole talk about just waiting on the Lord. I'm always so unsure about what to DO while waiting for answers. But it seems like he had some good ideas about that.
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