He Prayed in Faith

In his most recent talk in general conference, President Nelson bore this witness of the Savior: “Jesus Christ took upon Himself your sins, your pains, your heartaches, and your infirmities. You do not have to bear them alone! He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. He will heal your wounded soul. As you yoke yourself to Him, your burdens will feel lighter. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be ‘swallowed up in the joy of Christ.’” This last sentence is a reference to Alma 31:38 which describes what the Lord did for Alma and his brethren as they began their mission to the Zoramites: “And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.” The Lord gave them strength and sustenance and joy in their trials through His power. And what was the key to Alma and his companions obtaining this power through the atonement of the Lord? It was the prayer of faith.

                In the above statement by President Nelson, he also referenced Mosiah 24:14 in the footnotes. This describes Alma (the elder) when he and his people were in bondage to the Lamanites in the city of Helam. The account records that the people were threatened with death if they prayed vocally, so they prayed earnestly in their hearts: “And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.” What was the result of these prayers? The people received this incredible promise from the Lord: “And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.” Because they had prayed with such great faith, the Lord gave them power and help and His sustaining hand through their trials. Sincere prayer unlocks the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives.   

                So, as we ask ourselves how we can receive the power of Christ’s atonement more fully in our lives, one important answer is simply this: pray with faith. That was the answer that the king of the Lamanites received from Aaron when he sought to come unto the Lord and be forgiven. He said to the Nephite missionary, “What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day?” Aaron’s answer was this: “If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest” (Alma 22:15-16). The king followed this invitation and indeed received the hope and forgiveness he sought for. It was the prayer of faith that unlocked the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ for him. This reminds me of the words of the Lamanites in Zarahemla who were surrounded with darkness while watching Nephi and Lehi conversing with the angels of God. They cried out, “What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?” Aminadab told them, “You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you” (Helaman 5:40-41). Once again, the answer to the question was the same: to get help they needed to pray to the Lord in faith. Prayer may not be the only thing we need to do, but when it comes to obtaining help from the Lord and feeling the power of His great atoning sacrifice in our lives, it is surely the first thing we should do.

My youngest daughter woke me up about 3:30 in the morning today and seemed upset, likely from a bad dream. I followed her into the living room and tucked her into a blanket on the couch. After I walked away, she was still upset and mumbling about something, so I went back and finally understand what she saying, “Say my prayer with me!” So, I knelt and prayed with her, and she went right to sleep. I am not sure what we did to help her understand so instinctively the need to pray, but it was a reminder to me that I need to do more to help instill that same desire to pray in my other children. No matter what our problems are, to come unto the Lord and receive His divine power to help us, we must all learn to pray in faith.