Today’s Reading: 3 Nephi 19:22-36
23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.
29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.
Oh, how I long to be one with the Father. It’s not an easy task because my human tendencies keep getting in the way. However, I have had those sublime moments when on my knees in humble prayer, where I have truly felt at one with the Father; where His will and my will have gently aligned and His power and love courses through my veins. It is a glorious feeling; one that I wish I could experience every time that I pray. Maybe someday I will. But, as they say, “Practice Makes Perfect”, so that is what I must do.
A few months ago, I was sitting in a sacrament meeting listening to a young missionary-to-be give his carefully prepared talk on prayer. As he enthusiastically shared what he had learned about prayer, my spirit connected with some words that he shared from the Bible Dictionary.
Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings. -Bible Dictionary, Prayer
How many times have I knelt in prayer, hoping that the Father will put His “stamp of approval” on my will. There are those times that He does, but it is only after I have done the leg work- researching options, studying decisions out in my mind, etc. In D&C 9:8-9 we read,
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.
9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.
Prayer is truly a form of work and it does require some effort on our part. Certainly this is not the case for every single prayer you utter. In moments of distress, the Father will not turn away from your heartfelt pleadings for help. But in those moments where you are trying to build your testimony of doctrine, seeking to know which choice to make, or wondering how you can help a friend or family member, the Father requires more effort on our part. He doesn’t have this requirement of work to be difficult, He requires it because He knows that the harder you work for something, the more knowledge you will gain and the more you will appreciate the experience.
Elder Todd D. Christofferson has said,
“Becoming at one within ourselves prepares us for the greater blessing of becoming one with God and Christ.”[i]
I can think of nothing better than to become one with God and Christ. Elder Christofferson goes on to say that “Jesus achieved perfect unity with the Father by submitting Himself, both flesh and spirit, to the will of the Father…Because it was the Father’s will, Jesus submitted even to death, ‘the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father’…This was certainly no small thing.” [ii]
Jesus Christ, a perfect and glorious being, submitted His will to the will of His Father. So how can I, an imperfect being, not be willing to do the same?
I grew up the oldest of 5 children in the blazing heat of Southern Utah. After high school and some college experience I met and married Mark Ogden and we are the parents of four children. I have owned and operated my own home-based preschool for more than a dozen years, and I consider myself an accidental author as well. When I am not in my minivan transporting children from one activity to the next, I enjoy playing the piano, blogging, speaking about my life’s experiences, and feeding my insatiable crafting disease.