After We Pray

The picture Elders send home to their parents…

Then there’s the one they send to their friends….

Elder Holland I wish to encourage every one of you today regarding opposition that so often comes after enlightened decisions have been made, after moments of revelation and conviction have given us a peace and assurance we thought we would never lose. March 1999 BYU Devotional

Helaman to Captain Moroni And now …why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear.... Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.... Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did: 1- visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; 1- immediately deliver us and make our enemies miserable so that we knew that life was fair and that bad and mean people always get what’s coming to them as soon as possible

Paul’s Admonition… Call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions" Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise..... If any man [or woman] draw back, my soul shall have no [joy] in him [or her] We are not of them who draw back unto perdition. [Hebrews 10:35–36, 38–39 Important Note: Often our post- prayer afflictions Are self-inflicted… And Sometimes the result of friendly fire

Helaman to Captain Moroni And now …why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear.... Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.... Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did: 1- visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; 2- yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls,

Oliver Cowdery D&C 6: 15 Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth; 22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, 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. 23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?

Helaman to Captain Moroni And now …why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear.... Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.... Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did: 1- visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; 2- yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, 3- and did grant unto us great faith,

Gaining Faith And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed and, running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. …. but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Two men were healed here The son From a dumb spirit he could not cast out on his own. The father From a doubting spirit he could not heal on his own.

President Eyring I remember a story told to me long ago, far from here, by a sad voice… She was tired. Tired of being single. Tired of trying to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Not so much tired of being kind and virtuous as tired of nothing good seeming to come of it. She'd not had a date in months. She saw no prospect of even becoming friends with, let alone marrying, a man who shared her faith and ideals. In frustration she found herself deciding something. She decided that afternoon, consciously, that years of good works and restraint had produced little and promised no more. She said to herself almost aloud, "Oh, what's the use?" The phone rang. It was a man's voice, a man she knew. He lived in the same apartment building. He'd asked her out before. She'd refused because she was sure he'd expect her to compromise her standards she'd preserved at great effort. But, almost as if directed by a scriptwriter, he called at that instant. She didn't say, "Yes." She said, "I'll think about it." She thought about it. He called again. And finally, she repeated to herself, "Oh, what's the use?" She went. She found she had been right about his intentions. And in a choice about time and about waiting or not waiting, her life changed. So, she will never know what might have been ahead on the path she decided wasn't worth the price; she knew quickly the other one was uphill, and a hard climb. Law of Increasing Returns, BYU Speeches, March, 1982

Helaman to Captain Moroni And now …why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear.... Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.... Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did: 1- visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; 2- yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, 3- and did grant unto us great faith, 4- and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

Common Belief Question to a client: How will you know your prayers have been answered? 1)I’ll get what I asked for, or: 2)I’ll know I because things will “just go better.”

The Apostle Peter And Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and…he went up into a mountain, apart, to pray. And … the ship was … tossed with the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and, beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him… And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. (Matt 14)

President Eyring If you wanted to give this idea a name, you could call it "the law of increasing returns." The simple fact is that there is a God who wants us to have faith in him. He knows that to strengthen faith we must use it. And so he gives us the chance to use it by letting some of the spiritual rewards we want most be delayed. Instead of first effort yielding returns, with a steady decline, it's the reverse. First efforts, and even second efforts, seem to yield little. And then the rewards begin, perhaps much later, to grow and grow. Most of us need encouragement to work and wait for rewards Law of Increasing Returns, BYU Speeches, March, 1982

One man’s experience… One man explained: I awoke early one morning to feel a very real presence in my bedroom. Although I could not identify who was there nor hear with my natural ears, I knew that I was supposed to learn something important. Clear words entered my mind. They told me: "Something terrible is happening. Tell [your daughter] that it must stop or she will suffer unmeasurable sorrow.“ I asked, "Will she know what it is about?“ "Yes.“ "Is it too late?“ "It is not too late.“ The message was relayed to the daughter, who called her father later that week to tell him not to worry. She had received a priesthood blessing and was visiting with her Church leaders. Some time later she told her father that she had been contemplating terminating her activity in the Church. She had become so disillusioned by disappointments and seemingly unfulfilled promises that her life was filled with confusion and numbness. Her trials were far from over, but by then she had the support of Church leaders, family members, and, most important, the Holy Ghost. TODD A. BRITSCH, Sept 1997 BYU Devotional