Have You Ever Wondered...?

As both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and non-members alike, we always want answers to our own personal questions, some of which the scriptures don't cover as a topic of discussion. It is interesting to note that sometimes we don't seem to think to pray, and even when we do, we don't always receive an answer. Though we may not receive an answer right away, or receive an answer that we don't recognize, God does answer our prayers.


Let's look at the first problem mentioned above, receiving an answer. We know that we should pray when we want spiritual truth, but sometimes we don't necessarily receive an answer. Some of those possibilities may be surprising. Doctrine and Covenants 9: 7-8 says, "Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. (8) But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." So there is the first thing we ought to do. We can't just ask, then expect God to give us the answer without doing anything for it. We have to search it out. Who knows, maybe our answer CAN be found in the scriptures. Now, let's look at a different point. Maybe you're not having the right method of receiving your answer. For example, in 3 Nephi 18: 21 it says, "Pray...unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed." So there's point number one. Pray to God the Father, having your prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Another method can be found in Moroni 10: 4 which says, "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." There it is, ask God, in the name of Christ, with a sincere heart (which means REALLY wanting to know, not having the state of mind that 'That is what they told me to do'), with real intent (which means actually willing to go through with the answer that you receive), and have faith in Christ. THEN you will receive your answer.


Now let's look at the second of those points, recognizing those answers. We will feel different things when we receive answers to our prayers. Feelings, inclinations, impressions, and thoughts can be some of those answers. Feelings include such things as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5: 22-23). If you receive one or more of those kinds of feelings, you could be receiving your answer. Like I said earlier, you have to search for the answer, AND pray. If we search for the answer in the scriptures after we pray, we could "just happen" to come upon the answer we were looking for. That is also another way God can talk to us. If he has already talked to somebody else about that same thing in the scriptures, that's where you're going to find your answer.


These and many more are ways that you can receive spiritual enlightenment and find answers to many of life's difficult questions. As you pray with faith, our loving Father in Heaven WILL hear you, and he WILL answer you prayers in His own due time. "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (3 Nephi 14:7).