I love how applicable The Book of Mormon is in every aspect of our lives. In V5-8, we read how the sons of Mosiah were begging their dad to go up to the land of Nephi to preach unto the Lamanites. How often does this happen to those of us who are parents?!!! Every day? If teenagers are involved every hour?! So what does Mosiah do? He prays for guidance on what to do. When he receives the answer that it was okay for them to go, he acts on it with confidence.
The cool thing is we have this exact same opportunity. While we shouldn't trouble the Lord with every trivial decision like what toothpaste to buy (ref Elder Oaks), Heavenly Father wants us to counsel Him in our major decisions. Being a parent is really hard, but I think it would be almost impossible to do a good job without the direction received from prayer.
While the amount of time it takes to receive an answer varies, when we pray with faith one of three things will happen:
1. We will feel a "burning in our bosom" confirming what we've decided is right. (Ref DC 9:8-9) 2. We will have the "stupor of thought" telling us that what we've decided is wrong. (Ref DC 9:8-9) 3. Or we will feel nothing. Sometimes for a long time, we feel nothing. Elder Scott explains what to do when this happens, "What do you do when you have prepared carefully, have prayed fervently, waited a reasonable time for a response, and still do not feel an answer? You may want to express thanks when that occurs, for it is an evidence of His trust. When you are living worthily and your choice is consistent with the Savior’s teachings and you need to act, proceed with trust. As you are sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, one of two things will certainly occur at the appropriate time: either the stupor of thought will come, indicating an improper choice, or the peace or the burning in the bosom will be felt, confirming that your choice was correct. When you are living righteously and are acting with trust, God will not let you proceed too far without a warning impression if you have made the wrong decision."
I love how applicable The Book of Mormon is in every aspect of our lives. In V5-8, we read how the sons of Mosiah were begging their dad to go up to the land of Nephi to preach unto the Lamanites. How often does this happen to those of us who are parents?!!! Every day? If teenagers are involved every hour?! So what does Mosiah do? He prays for guidance on what to do. When he receives the answer that it was okay for them to go, he acts on it with confidence.
ReplyDeleteThe cool thing is we have this exact same opportunity. While we shouldn't trouble the Lord with every trivial decision like what toothpaste to buy (ref Elder Oaks), Heavenly Father wants us to counsel Him in our major decisions. Being a parent is really hard, but I think it would be almost impossible to do a good job without the direction received from prayer.
While the amount of time it takes to receive an answer varies, when we pray with faith one of three things will happen:
1. We will feel a "burning in our bosom" confirming what we've decided is right. (Ref DC 9:8-9)
2. We will have the "stupor of thought" telling us that what we've decided is wrong. (Ref DC 9:8-9)
3. Or we will feel nothing. Sometimes for a long time, we feel nothing. Elder Scott explains what to do when this happens, "What do you do when you have prepared carefully, have prayed fervently, waited a reasonable time for a response, and still do not feel an answer? You may want to express thanks when that occurs, for it is an evidence of His trust. When you are living worthily and your choice is consistent with the Savior’s teachings and you need to act, proceed with trust. As you are sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, one of two things will certainly occur at the appropriate time: either the stupor of thought will come, indicating an improper choice, or the peace or the burning in the bosom will be felt, confirming that your choice was correct. When you are living righteously and are acting with trust, God will not let you proceed too far without a warning impression if you have made the wrong decision."
I love the reminder of how we receive personal revelation.. thanks Maury!
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