RS Lesson July 2008

Ask In Faith By Elder Bednar April 2008 Conference



Dear Sisters, (Alison's words are in black ink)



I am grateful that I have the chance to teach in Relief Society. I love to attend Relief Society! I have a testimony of it's importance in our lives. I am a Registered Nurse (not currently working) and I have a tendency to examine the biology of our lives. I heard of a study in which groups of male rats and groups of female rats with cancer both had improvement in their condition when they were placed with healthy female rats. Other male and female cancer rat groups who were placed with healthy male rats or by themselves and did not enjoy the company of healthy females around them all got worse. I believe that. I believe that the very hormones in our veins, which cause us to focus too narrowly on things that need improvement (sadly, we sometimes nag family members who need improvement); these hormones, especially when we are feeling the spirit, can also be soothing. Our very presence can be comforting. Sometimes my 3 year old son pats the couch next to him and says, "Mom, dit!" ( translated: "Mom, sit") while he watches his show. Even my husband likes me to sit in the room while he relaxes, whether I have a mobile project to do or nothing. When they want me to sit with them, I have to try so hard to not worry about all the things I need to get done and the other things I could be doing! I have friends who feel the same thing in their families. I believe this is part of our divine nature as women. This is why we need Relief Society. This is why we need visiting teaching. EVERYONE needs the association and just the very presence of females in their lives for comfort and nurturing.



I am so grateful to the sisters who are working in the Primary and Young Women's! Thank you so much! It means so much to me that I get to attend Relief Society and that my son has fun in the nursery. His very first experiences in church and in the gospel have been positive and that builds a strong foundation for life. I think I speak for the other sisters whose children you teach. I will be eternally grateful for you and your sacrifices for my son to have a good experience in church!





Elder Bednar begins his talk by saying:

"I invite the Holy Ghost to assist us as we consider a principle that can help our prayers become more meaningful—the gospel principle of asking in faith. I want to review three examples of asking in faith in meaningful prayer and discuss the lessons we can learn from each one of them. As we speak of prayer, I emphasize the word meaningful. Simply saying prayers is quite a different thing from engaging in meaningful prayer. I expect that all of us already know that prayer is essential for our spiritual development and protection. But what we know is not always reflected in what we do. And even though we recognize the importance of prayer, all of us can improve the consistency and efficacy of our personal and family prayers.

Ask in Faith and Act

The classic example of asking in faith is Joseph Smith and the First Vision. As young Joseph was seeking to know the truth about religion, he read the following verses in the first chapter of James:" If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1:5–6).

Please notice the requirement to ask in faith, which I understand to mean the necessity to not only express but to do, the dual obligation to both plead and to perform, the requirement to communicate and to act. Pondering this biblical text led Joseph to retire to a grove of trees near his home to pray and to seek spiritual knowledge. Note the questions that guided Joseph's thinking and supplicating.

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it? …"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join" (Joseph Smith—History 1:10, 18).

Joseph's questions focused not just on what he needed to know but also on what was to be done! His prayer was not simply, "Which church is right?" His question was, "Which church should I join?" Joseph went to the grove to ask in faith, and he was determined to act."



The very words and intentions that Joseph Smith used in his prayer made a difference in the outcome. Read aloud 2 Nephi 4:34 My God will give me if I ask not amiss. Read aloud 3 Ne 18:20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name WHICH IS RIGHT, believing ye that shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you. Read aloud D&C 46:30 He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God

So, we need the influence of the Holy Ghost before we even pray, to know the right things to pray for, and in the right way, if we want our prayers to be meaningful and effective. It takes some prior thought and focus. For example, if we ask for "more money" and He gives us a dime, He answered our prayer, we have more money. If we ask for help to know how to get out of debt, like the prophet has commanded, and we fully intend to abide by the counsel, even if it means we have to sacrifice, then our prayers can be answered more specifically toward that goal.

"True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to righteous action. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "faith [is] the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness" and that it is also "the principle of action in all intelligent beings" (Lectures on Faith [1985], 1). Action alone is not faith in the Savior, but acting in accordance with correct principles is a central component of faith. Thus, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).

The Prophet Joseph further explained that "faith is not only the principle of action, but of power also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth" (Lectures on Faith, 3). Thus, faith in Christ leads to righteous action, which increases our spiritual capacity and power. Understanding that faith is a principle of action and of power inspires us to exercise our moral agency in compliance with gospel truth, invites the redeeming and strengthening powers of the Savior's Atonement into our lives, and enlarges the power within us whereby we are agents unto ourselves (see D&C 58:28)."

I wanted to draw a diagram on the board showing how: faith leads to --righteous action-- which increases our SPIRITUAL CAPACITY and POWER But I thought of another diagram: a tree; as I read the rest of the Ensign. As the scripture in Alma 32 teaches, faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow. It needs nourishment from the sun, which is like the Light of Christ, which gives us truth and light and His Spirit. The seed of faith needs nourishment from the Living Water, which is Jesus Christ and His atonement in our lives. With the nourishment of His light and the atonement, we feel compelled to righteous actions. Our faith in Him begins to grow. The little seed FAITH sprouts RIGHTEOUS ACTIONS until it grows into a beautiful tree full of POWER enough to stand on it's own.

In the back of the Ensign, we are introduced us to the new general authorities who were recently called. One of them, Elder Pearson, when he was mission president, used to tell his missionaries about five challenges that can overcome or weaken faith, if faith isn't continually strengthened. "You've got to get rid of doubt, distraction, disobedience, discouragement, and lack of diligence in order for your faith to be effective" These five challenges are like the weeds, the bugs, gravity, the whirlwinds, and the lightening strikes, that threaten to destroy our beautiful faith trees. We need to get rid of these five things to be able to ask in faith in our prayers. The source of these challenges is not the Spirit, which teaches a man how to pray. It is the Father of Lies, who teaches us not to pray and tries to destroy our means of communication with our Father in Heaven. 2 Nephi 32:8. 1) We need to carefully pull out the weeds of disobedience that would choke our faith roots, cutting off the Living Water and separating us from the benefit of the Atonement. 2) The little bugs of a lack of diligence gnaw away at our righteous action branches weakening them, slowly. 3) The gravity of too many distractions in our lives overwhelm us and pull us down to the ground, unless we prune away all except what matters the most to us. 4) Whirlwinds of discouragement come upon us suddenly and the dust clouds surrounding us block our vision of the truth and the warmth of the sun which is like the Light of Christ, truth and the Spirit in our lives. 5) Doubts are like lightening strikes that damage our righteous action branches and threaten to burn us up if we try to hold onto them and give them importance. These five challenges to our faith are tools of the adversary to weaken our faith. Meaningful prayer is one of the tools Heavenly Father has given us to strengthen faith.



"I long have been impressed with the truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as "a form of work, … is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings" (Bible Dictionary, "Prayer," 753). We press forward and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer, after we say "amen," by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father. Asking in faith requires honesty, effort, commitment, and persistence. Let me provide an illustration of what I mean and extend to you an invitation." Elder Bednar talks about how we pray for missionaries to find people to teach, but really it is our job to find people for the missionaries to teach. He gives us examples of how to effectively pray that we might find people for the missionaries to teach. Like we mentioned, the very words we use in prayer, make a difference. The spirit will help us to know what to pray for and what things we personally need to be working on. Last week, Sister Gibby tearfully shared with us how when President Hinckley invited couples to go on missions, the Spirit witnessed to her very strongly that they were to go on a mission. They prayed about it and acted on that prompting, fulfilling a mission.

"This same pattern of holy communication and consecrated work can be applied in our prayers for the poor and the needy, for the sick and the afflicted, for family members and friends who are struggling, and for those who are not attending Church meetings. I testify that prayer becomes meaningful as we ask in faith and act. I invite all of us to pray in faith about our divinely given mandate to proclaim the gospel. As we do so, I promise doors will open and we will be blessed to recognize and act upon the opportunities that will be provided."

After the Trial of Our Faith

My second example emphasizes the importance of persevering through the trial of our faith. A few years ago a family traveled to Europe from the United States. Shortly after arriving at their destination, a 13-year-old son became quite ill. The mother and father initially thought his upset stomach was caused by fatigue from the long flight, and the family routinely continued on its journey.

As the day continued, the son's condition became worse. Dehydration was increasing. The father gave his son a priesthood blessing, but no improvement was immediately evident. Several hours passed by, and the mother knelt by her son's side, pleading in prayer to Heavenly Father for the boy's well-being. They were far from home in an unfamiliar country and did not know how to obtain medical assistance. The mother asked her son if he would like to pray with her. She knew that merely waiting for the anticipated blessing would not be enough; they needed to continue to act. Explaining that the blessing he had received was still in effect, she suggested again petitioning in prayer, as did the ancient Apostles, "Lord, Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). The prayer included a profession of trust in priesthood power and a commitment to persevere in doing whatever might be required for the blessing to be honored—if that blessing at that time was in accordance with God's will. Shortly after they offered this simple prayer, the son's condition improved.

The faithful action of the mother and her son helped to invite the promised priesthood power and in part satisfied the requirement that we "dispute not because [we] see not, for [we] receive no witness until after the trial of [our] faith" (Ether 12:6). Just as the prison holding Alma and Amulek did not tumble to the earth "until after their faith," and just as Ammon and his missionary brethren did not witness mighty miracles in their ministries "until after their faith" (see Ether 12:12–15), so the healing of this 13-year-old boy did not occur until after their faith and was accomplished "according to their faith in their prayers" (D&C 10:47).

Not My Will, but Thine, Be Done

My third example highlights the importance of recognizing and accepting the will of God in our lives. Several years ago there was a young father who had been active in the Church as a boy but had chosen a different path during his teenage years. After serving in the military, he married a lovely girl, and soon children blessed their home. One day without warning their little four-year-old daughter became critically ill and was hospitalized. In desperation and for the first time in many years, the father was found on his knees in prayer, asking that the life of his daughter be spared. Yet her condition worsened. Gradually, this father sensed that his little girl would not live, and slowly his prayers changed; he no longer prayed for healing but rather for understanding. "Let Thy will be done" was now the manner of his pleadings. Soon his daughter was in a coma, and the father knew her hours on earth were few. Fortified with understanding, trust, and power beyond their own, the young parents prayed again, asking for the opportunity to hold her close once more while she was awake. The daughter's eyes opened, and her frail arms reached out to her parents for one final embrace. And then she was gone. This father knew their prayers had been answered—a kind, compassionate Father in Heaven had comforted their hearts. God's will had been done, and they had gained understanding. (Adapted from H. Burke Peterson, "Adversity and Prayer," Ensign, Jan. 1974, 18.) Discerning and accepting the will of God in our lives are fundamental elements of asking in faith in meaningful prayer. However, simply saying the words "Thy will be done" is not enough. Each of us needs God's help in surrendering our will to Him."

One of my favorite stories and one that changed my life in 2003 is called the Parable of the Unwise Bee, written by Elder James E. Talmage and reprinted in the February 2003 Ensign. He tells about how he was in a little, quiet, secluded "upper room" in the tower of a large building where he could go to write his books. Often he would pause and watch the flying insects which managed to get in through the partly opened window. One day a wild bee flew into the room and tried for an hour to find a way out. When ready to close up the room and leave, Elder Talmage threw the window wide and tried to guide the bee out. If left inside, it would die like other trapped insects had. The more he tried to drive the bee out, the more determinedly the bee resisted. Its previous peaceful hum developed into an angry roar and its darting flight became hostile and threatening. Then the bee caught him off guard and stung his hand- the hand that would have guided it to freedom. It flew up to the ceiling and landed out of reach. The sharp pain of its unkind sting aroused pity instead of anger because the bee would now die alone in the room without the reaching freedom and safety. He said, "To the bee's shortsightedness and selfish misunderstanding I was a foe, a persistent persecutor, a mortal enemy bent on its destruction; while in truth I was its friend, offering it ransom of the life it had put in forfeit through its own error...We are prone to contend, sometimes with vehemence and anger, against the adversity which after all may be the manifestation of superior wisdom and loving care, directed against our temporary comfort for our permanent blessing. In the tribulations and sufferings of mortality there is a divine ministry... Disappointment, sorrow, and affliction may be the expression of an all-wise Father's kindness."

"Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other" (Bible Dictionary, "Prayer," 752–53). Humble, earnest, and persistent prayer enables us to recognize and align ourselves with the will of our Heavenly Father. And in this the Savior provided the perfect example as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. … And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly" (Luke 22:42, 44)."



To understand God's will for us personally, it helps to understand the plan of salvation and the gift of free agency. Read the quotes at the end of the lesson.



"The object of our prayers should not be to present a wish list or a series of requests but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is eager to bestow, according to His will and timing. Every sincere prayer is heard and answered by our Heavenly Father, but the answers we receive may not be what we expect or come to us when we want or in the way we anticipate. This truth is evident in the three examples I have presented today.

Prayer is a privilege and the soul's sincere desire. We can move beyond routine and "checklist" prayers and engage in meaningful prayer as we appropriately ask in faith and act, as we patiently persevere through the trial of our faith, and as we humbly acknowledge and accept "not my will, but Thine, be done. I witness the reality and divinity of our Eternal Father, of His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost. I testify that our Father hears and answers our prayers. May each of us strive with greater resolve to ask in faith and thereby make our prayers truly meaningful. I so pray in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."

My faith is strengthened when I hear your stories of prayers being answered. Two stories come to my mind. One was told to us by Sister Maryanne ( sp? J ) Hurdman. She told of how once of her kids got in trouble at school. While she was waiting at home and worrying about how to punish the child, she took her concern to the Lord and she received the impression, "You do the loving, I'll do the perfecting." I love that!! That shows us to trust in the principle of free agency and personal accountability and focus on loving our loved ones!

Another story was shared by Sister Evie Stewart about a time when she was praying fervently that her son might feel the Spirit during a fireside that he was having a hard time sitting through. As she prayed that night, the events of that day flashed through her mind, events that were particularly special in the whole family with a feeling of love and happiness. The words came into her mind something like this: "If you want him to know what my Spirit feels like, then be like me." Wonderful advice!

I talked to Sister Jaynes today and her husband never actually was in the ICU as the rumor went, but he did have a number of complications after his surgery which normally would put someone in the ICU on a ventilator and on heavy-duty drugs. So those of you who prayed for them, your prayers were answered! It was a miracle he didn't experience the full extent of the complications he suffered!

Sister Semadeni gave us a few parting words. They leave tomorrow on their mission!! With her testimony, she said that she is impressed with how specific prayers for specific people really make a difference in preaching the gospel.



I add my testimony to Elder Bednar's that I know that Heavenly Father is real and listens to every prayer we think and say. Last week a friend of mine was going to have a 30th birthday party dinner. Four days before it, her younger sister who was 28 weeks pregnant stopped feeling the baby moving inside her. She went to the ER and the worst was confirmed, the baby had died. My friend cancelled her birthday dinner and flew to San Francisco to be with her sister, who was actually on vacation from Utah, visiting their parents. My friend was so sad that her sister's first pregnancy was going to end like this. I told her I would pray for her and her sister. I thought about what I could pray for that was right and the will of God. I couldn't pray for the life of the baby, she was already gone. I knew that the delivery might be uncomfortable, especially in a different city. I prayed that she would have good doctors and nurses to help them through the delivery and that they would have peace and strength and my friend would know how to help her sister. A couple days after the 14 hour labor and the delivery of a 2 ½ pound perfectly-formed little girl, my friend called to update me. I was so grateful when she told me that on the night her sister delivered, the night nurse was young and sweet. She was quiet and respectful, only entering the room when she had to, and only speaking when she had to. My friend expressed tearful relief that the night nurse had a spirit of reverence throughout the ordeal. My friend was glad that the morning nurse was not around during the delivery. The next morning, the discharge nurse was mature and seasoned, very cynical, and very liberal. I knew that my prayers for my friend's sister to have good doctors and nurses were answered. I know that Heavenly Father cares about even the little things in our lives. If it is on our minds, He wants to hear about it and help us with it. He wants us to be happy even though He allows us to struggle and grow. He has answered many, many little prayers for me. As I try to have more meaningful, specific and righteous prayers, I see them more clearly being answered. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.




Favorite quotes read throughout the lesson which help us to understand God's specific will for each of us:


( Marion G. Romney Conference Report 1969) .If we can bear our afflictions with faith, understanding and courage…we shall be strengthened and comforted in many ways. We shall be spared the torment which accompanies the mistaken idea that all suffering comes as chastisement for transgression.…I have seen the remorse and despair in the lives of men who in the hour of trial have cursed God and died spiritually. And I have seen people rise to great heights from what seemed to be unbearable burdens.





(Orson F. Whitney) No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God…and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in Heaven…"



(Spencer W. Kimball in Tragedy or Destiny?) If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil-- all would do good but not because of the righteousness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls. Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, eternal life, or godhood....2 Nephi 2:11...

Being human we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering and self-mastery. The sufferings of our Savior were part of his education. Hebrews 5:8-9...

We knew before we were born that we were coming to the earth for bodies and experience and that we would have joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comforts and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments. We knew also that after a period of life we would die. We accepted all these eventualities with a glad heart, eager to accept both the favorable and the unfavorable. We eagerly accepted the chance to come earthward even though it might be for only a day or a year. Perhaps we were not so much concerned whether we should die of disease, of accident or senility. We were willing to take life as it came and we might organize and control it, and this without murmur, complaint or unreasonable demands. In the face of apparent tragedy we must put our trust in God, knowing that despite our limited view, his purposes will not fail. With all its troubles, life offers us the tremendous privilege to grow in knowledge and wisdom, faith and works, preparing to return and share God's glory.