SIGNIFICANT REVELATIONS
One day I was struggling with life in general when I had a thought that I should read the Book of Mormon to look for answers. In Alma 37 it says, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.” I decided to read the Book of Mormon, which turned out to be a significant moment in my life, because I learned that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the one true church on this earth today; prayer is extremely important; and following all of Heavenly Father’s commandments will bring many blessings.
After reading the Book of Mormon I had a strong feeling come over me that I could not explain. I just knew that the words and inspiration imbedded in this book were true. The Book of Mormon tells about how Joseph Smith prayed to Heavenly Father and asked which church he should join, and God answered that he should join none of the churches. Joseph Smith eventually went on to receive revelations that led him to restore The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In Doctrine and Covenants 1:29-30 it says, “And after having received the record of the Nephites, yea, even my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., might have power to translate through the mercy of God, by the power of God, the Book of Mormon. And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.” I’m grateful that I was able to learn from my readings that the true church of God had been restored.
I’m also glad that I was able to learn about the power of prayer from what I read in the Book of Mormon. Because of prayer, Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and other messengers from Heavenly Father who instructed him on what he was supposed to do. I, too, prayed to Heavenly Father as a senior in high school and was guided by the Holy Spirit to know that all I had been told and read was unequivocally true. But eventually I fell away from the church for a time and my life was in total disarray. I felt all alone and prayed for help. A few years ago I moved back home and looked on Facebook for old friends. I stumbled upon the person who had originally introduced me to the church, Heather Sego. Eventually, Heather invited me to go shopping. On our return to her house, we discovered that the LDS missionaries had made a surprise visit. To me this was a sign that I was doing the right thing and that my prayers had been answered. I knew what I needed to do with my life.
Prayer changes things. It quiets us down and opens us up to that still, small voice inside. Prayer takes the desires of our hearts and lifts them to a loving, listening Heavenly Father. And before we’ve even said “amen,” prayer graces us with a spirit of peace and blesses us with reassurance. When I first joined the church I knew nothing. When I had questions that no one else could really answer, I went to Heavenly Father in prayer. In the Book of Mormon in Moroni 8:26 it says, “And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.” I love how this verse shows that prayer helps us go back to the presence of the Father. That’s important to me and I’m glad the words I read from The Book of Mormon have helped me understand how important prayer is in developing that