Finding Answers Through Prayer
I love to read. I always have a book going. I love hearing the advice of someone who can help me progress and develop. I also love reading about someone else’s life looking for the lesson of how they moved from where they were to where they are now. I find this type of counsel inspiring and hopeful.
While reading can help you find great counsel and lessons which can inspire you to progress and become, I believe that prayer, your conversation with God, can personalize what you read.
Let me explain.
I believe that when you stop the flow of counsel and learning when you close the book you are missing out on the golden nuggets that are just for you. I also believe that many good caring authors write their books with you in mind. And I believe that you are drawn to the voices you chose to listen to. I believe that you are drawn because you feel the connection that they are talking to you.
And I believe that the best way to continue the flow of counsel and learning is to talk about it. Yes, you can talk about it with friends in a book club. That is a fun way to dive deeper into what you just read and the counsel you are considering. I want to encourage you to talk with God about the counsel and learning you are choosing to read.
Consider the following 3 ways that prayer, talking with God, can help you discover those golden nuggets that are just for you.
#1. God Will Counsel You
I once heard of a single guy who was really struggling to find a wife. He was going on lots of dates but just couldn’t seem to get past the first date. He decided to pray about it. I will always remember what he said that God impressed him to do. “Stop cussing. Clean up your language.”
I’m not sure what he expected when he decided to turn to God and seek His counsel. But I am sure that he got what he needed at that moment. And I believe that is how God works. He will give you what you need and are capable of at that moment. He won’t give you a long list of things to do or stop doing, he will give you what you need and are capable of at that moment.
Then when you are ready for more, if you ask, He will give it to you. This makes me think of Matthew 7:7-8: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be open unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
I invite you to counsel with the God. Tell him where you are in the struggle, what you have done about it so far, what you have studied and read and are thinking about doing next and ask him what he would have you do.
In Alma 37 we read “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good;”
#2. You Will Feel God’s Love
Sometimes in our struggle we begin to wonder about God’s love for us.
I know for myself that the times I have wondered if God loves me has been due to one of two things.
· I have done something that has distanced me from Him
· Or, I am waiting. Waiting for something to start or something to end.
Either way, don’t add struggle to the struggle by judging ourselves on top of our wondering and questioning. Instead, just slow down. Be still. Take some time to quiet your mind, letting go of the self-judgement and open up your heart and mind to the possibility and truth that God does in fact love you. He always has. He always will. There is nothing that you have done, can or will do that will put you outside the reach of his love for you. Two things can be true at the same time. You are in the waiting AND God loves you. It is not one or the other.
If you want to know for yourself that He loves you. Look around for the evidence. Ask him. AND, ask him with a desire to know. Talk with him about it. He will answer. And His answer is Yes, I love you.
#3. You Will Find Clarity
Last one. If you have listened to my podcast, you know that I often recommend that you pick up and pen and grab a piece of paper so that you can write down what you are thinking. Rather than letting thoughts ramble around in your head, writing them down on a piece of paper helps you focus and brings clarity. With the thoughts out of your head you can more clearly see what you think. I offer up that the same can be said for talking out loud with someone about what you are thinking. It is when you get the thinking out of your head out loud or on paper that you, again, gain more clarity.
With that in mind, I invite you to consider that when you are praying, converse out loud with God. Find a private pace and talk with him – out loud. Even if it is just a whisper – say the words out loud.
God loves you. He wants you to ask, seek and knock. He is waiting to talk with you.