This week I had some neat
experiences with prayer. The past month has been a little harder but I´m still
happy to be a missionary! I´m just learning a lot right now haha but it was a
week that I needed a little understanding from the Lord so I spent a good
amount of time on my knees. As
I knelt in prayer to talk to my Father
in Heaven about everything that was going on and how I was feeling I had an
interesting experience. I begin expressing to him what was going on and what I
wanted so that it would become better. I thought I was humbly praying when in
reality I was trying to council the Lord on my situation. Like it says in the
scriptures the purpose of prayer isn´t to change the mind of God but rather to
bring ourselves in harmony with his will for us. As I let go of my own will,
cares, worries, wants, and stresses, I finally found some relief and peace. It
was incredible. As I expressed to the Lord my desire to do what he needed me to
do even if that meant continuing the same as I have He blessed me with peace
and relief. The thing that has been standing in the way of me receiving that
help has been my own will. I was reluctantly holding onto my own will and
wasn´t ready to give it up. As I finally gave him my will and said, ¨Not my
will but thine be done¨ that relief, comfort, and peace came. That was the
first lesson I was reminded of this week.
The second was that as I continued
to pray I wondered if my prayers were really changing anything because I didn´t
feel any different. I learned a great lesson this week about that as well. Our
father in Heaven does listen but he also helps us with our problems in a
certain way. He listens first. He doesn´t just magically make everything better
the second that we get on our knees and open our mouths because he has to teach
us a little first (I do believe in miracles though and there are moments where
the Lord will give us an immediate answer to our prayers if we ask). Anyways,
he listens first. He listens, comforts, and then always always always begins to
teach us about his Son Jesus Christ. As we begin to learn about his Son, that´s
when we find peace, comfort, understanding, miracles, and solutions.
So if you feel like the Lord doesn´t
listen or answer your prayers because things aren´t better, please ponder this.
Our loving Father in Heaven listens to us but knows that the only solution is
through his Son Jesus Christ so he dearly wants us to learn of him as he helps
us. So look at what the Lord is trying to teach you about his Son and I promise
you that you´ll find you´re solutions there. The Lord also knows what´s best
for us. Sometimes what we ask for isn´t what´s best for us even though we may
be convinced that it is. Once again, as we trust in him and trust that his way
is better things will all come together for our good. Everything will work out
if we´ll just put our trust in the one who can see it all. Love you all. Every
struggle we have is to teach us more about our need for the Savior and how His
atonement applies to us. Look for those lessons.
Come what may and love it!
Hermana Israelsen
