My dad used to always counsel me, "You can't see the forest for the trees." As a young teenager, I didn't understand what he meant by that. Of course, it's obvious to me now, he meant I lacked perspective.
I don't know how much I cared whether or not I had correct perspective back then, but now I hunger and thirst for it... I pray for it! I desire with all my heart to see clearly. I want to see with the Spirit and not with my own eyes. - Jacob 4:13
I'm so thankful for prayer. What an amazing listener our Father in Heaven is, I have so much to learn about that wonderful quality! Prayer is my healing balm, my lifeline, my connection to my Truest Friend. (Some may speculate in the ability to communicate with heaven but I've had too many experiences in my life that confirm the validity of prayer and I cannot deny it.) My questions need answers, my soul needs direction, my hurt needs healing, my eyes need vision, my heart needs changing, and I know He is mighty to bless me with all of this and more.
The Savior taught: “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you” (3 Ne. 18:20). “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing” (D&C 19:38).
The Apostle James encourages, “The … fervent prayer of a righteous [person] availeth much” (James 5:16).
What does fervent mean? It means intense, sincere, impassioned, and heartfelt. Have you had prayers like that, so intense that you feel as if the very flesh of your heart is being torn? I have. It may not sound pleasant to some but I honestly cherish such moments in prayer only because I know I'm in the safest possible place to be so raw and exposed.
In the scriptures we are commanded to "pray always." How is this done? Alma 34:27 teaches us to keep our prayers in our hearts, “When you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.”
Prayer is the key that unlocks the door of revelation.
President Boyd K. Packer counseled, "Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil. And I have learned to conclude all my prayers with 'Thy will be done'" (Matthew 6:10; see also Luke 11:2; 3 Nephi 13:10).
In direct answer to my prayers yesterday, I was led straight to a talk from conference all about perspective. Interesting that my Heavenly Father would give me the same counsel my earthly father gave me so many years ago. I guess I still have a lot of growing up to do.
The story of my life is like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Through prayer I have laid all the pieces across the table. I graciously thank my loving Father in Heaven for the exciting opportunity of putting together this picture of my life with Him. He watches over me and gives me help as I ask. There's an amazing sense of satisfaction when I find pieces that snap perfectly into place, knowing just how and why they relate, revealing more of the bigger picture.
Then I have this group of other pieces; I know they are part of the puzzle, I've held them, examined them closely, and searched for their appropriate position. I can see the colors and style of cut match with the overall puzzle. I know they belong in the big picture somehow, so I hang on to them. Sometimes I gaze at them for hours... for the life of me, I cannot see how they can even be possible. I want to find their place! Like a child, I grow frustrated and discouraged and cry out to my Father, "I don't want to deal with these pieces anymore! I don't know where they belong!"
He lovingly tells me, "Then don't try to make them fit right now, Alicia, and don't quit or throw these ones away either. Keep putting together the pieces you do understand and one by one, over time, you will see exactly how these other ones belong in your life and you will know right where they go. Be patient."
This brought me comfort. I pray for patience.
In this same talk Elder Rafael E. Pino shares a story about the raw marble and how the sculptor sees the finished piece:
"As the sculptor was chiseling a block of marble, a boy came every day and watched shyly. When the figure of David emerged and appeared from that stone, complete for all the world to admire, the boy asked Michelangelo, ‘How did you know he was in there?"
This was also what I needed to hear and caused me to recall the lyrics to my Masterpiece, the song I played over and over and memorized into my heart so many years ago.
I love how personal my Father in Heaven is. I love and cherish the power of prayer. I thank Him for His devotion to such an impatient soul. He gently guides and lovingly listens. He has provided me with His words through scripture, through His servants, and through the Spirit of revelation. What an invaluable truth!
-Alicia
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