Therapy With God Through Prayer

  “Prayer is one of the best tools for our mental and spiritual well-being,” added Katarina Alhovuori, a Family Services therapist in Finland. “Prayer can help us articulate our emotions and examine them together with God.”

Spiritual and Personal Practices for Mental Health

By Mabel Teerlink

Church Magazines

The Doctrine of Christ in our Lives and Hearts

 

The Faith to Ask and Then to Act

By President Henry B. Eyring

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

If your faith in Jesus Christ has led to a heart softened through the effects of His Atonement, you will be more able to feel the whisperings of the Spirit in answer to your prayers....

Revelation comes to us in proportion to the degree to which we have sought to take the doctrine of Christ into our hearts and implement it in our lives....

The more we have the doctrine of Christ in our lives and hearts, the more we feel greater love and sympathy for those who have never had the blessings of faith in Jesus Christ or are struggling to maintain it....

What President George Q. Cannon said long ago is true today and will be until the Savior comes personally to lead His Church and His people: “Obedience to the Gospel brings [people] into very close and intimate relationship with the Lord. It establishes a close connection between men on the earth and our Great Creator in the heavens. It brings to the human mind a feeling of perfect confidence in the Almighty and in His willingness to listen to and answer the supplications of those who trust in Him. In times of trial and difficulty this confidence is beyond price. Trouble may come upon the individual or upon the people, disaster may threaten and every human hope may seem to be overthrown, yet, where [people] have availed themselves of the privileges which obedience to the Gospel brings, they have a sure standing place; their feet are upon a rock that cannot be moved.”

What Does It Mean to Pray with Real Intent?

 What Does It Mean to Pray with Real Intent?

President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, explained that praying with real intent means that the person prays something like this: “I do not ask out of curiosity but with total sincerity to act on the answer to my prayer. If Thou wilt give me this answer, I will act to change my life. I will respond” (in Neil L. Andersen, “Spiritually Defining Memories,” Liahona, May 2020, 22, note 19).

 

Call, Don’t Fall

By Elder Taylor G. Godoy

Of the Seventy

Thirty years ago, while my wife and I were preparing for our civil marriage and our temple marriage, we received a call informing us that civil marriages were canceled due to a strike. We received the call three days before the scheduled ceremony. After several attempts at other offices and not finding available appointments, we began to feel distressed and doubtful that we really could get married as planned.

My fiancée and I “called,” pouring out our souls to God in prayer. Finally, someone told us about an office in a small town on the outskirts of the city where an acquaintance was the mayor. Without hesitation, we went to visit him and asked him if it would be possible to marry us. To our joy, he agreed. His secretary emphasized to us that we had to obtain a certificate in that city and deliver all the documents before noon the next day.

The next day, we moved to the small town and went to the police station to request the required document. To our surprise, the officer said that he would not give it to us because many young couples had been running away from their families to get married secretly in that town, which of course was not our case. Again, fear and sadness overtook us.

I remember how I silently called out to my Heavenly Father so as not to fall. I received a clear impression in my mind, repeatedly saying, “Temple recommend, temple recommend.” I immediately took out my temple recommend and handed it to the officer, to my fiancée’s bewilderment.

What a surprise we had when we heard the officer say, “Why didn’t you tell me that you are from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? I know your church well.” He immediately began to prepare the document. We were even more surprised when the officer left the station without saying anything.

Fifty minutes passed, and he did not return. It was already 11:55 in the morning, and we had only until noon to deliver the papers. Suddenly he appeared with a beautiful puppy and told us it was a wedding gift and gave it to us along with the document.

We ran toward the mayor’s office with our document and our new dog. Then we saw an official vehicle coming toward us. I stopped in front of it. The vehicle stopped, and we saw the secretary inside. Seeing us, she said, “I’m sorry; I told you noon. I must go on another errand.”

I humbled myself in silence, calling with all my heart to my Heavenly Father, asking for help once again to “not fall.” Suddenly, the miracle happened. The secretary said to us, “What a beautiful dog you have. Where could I find one like that for my son?”

“It is for you,” we immediately replied.

The secretary looked at us with surprise and said, “OK, let’s go to the office and make the arrangements.”

Two days later, Carol and I were married civilly, as planned, and then we were sealed in the Lima Peru Temple.

 

Think Celestial!

By President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! When tested by temptation, think celestial! When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial! When someone dies prematurely, think celestial. When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial. When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial! As you recover from an accident or injury, as I am doing now, think celestial!..

As you think celestial, your heart will gradually change. You will want to pray more often and more sincerely. Please don’t let your prayers sound like a shopping list. The Lord’s perspective transcends your mortal wisdom. His response to your prayers may surprise you and will help you to think celestial....

As you think celestial, you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency. Any addiction—be it gaming, gambling, debt, drugs, alcohol, anger, pornography, sex, or even food—offends God. Why? Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it rather than to Him for solace. If you struggle with an addiction, seek the spiritual and professional help you need. Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow God’s fabulous plan.

Pray Vocally

 

Motions of a Hidden Fire

By President Jeffrey R. Holland

Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Brothers and sisters, I testify that God hears every prayer we offer and responds to each of them according to the path He has outlined for our perfection. I recognize that at roughly the same time so many were praying for the restoration of my health, an equal number—including me—were praying for the restoration of my wife’s health. I testify that both of those prayers were heard and answered by a divinely compassionate Heavenly Father, even if the prayers for Pat were not answered the way I asked. It is for reasons known only to God why prayers are answered differently than we hope—but I promise you they are heard and they are answered according to His unfailing love and cosmic timetable....

Our prayers ought to be vocal when we have the privacy to so offer them. If that is not practical, they should be carried as silent utterances in our heart....

We are to employ prayer as a shield against temptation, and if there be any time we feel not to pray, we can be sure that hesitancy does not come from God, who yearns to communicate with His children at any and all times. Indeed, some efforts to keep us from praying come directly from the adversary. When we don’t know how or exactly for what to pray, we should begin, and continue, until the Holy Spirit guides us into the prayer we should be offering. This approach may be the one we have to invoke when praying for our enemies and those who despitefully use us....

I bear witness that when Christ comes, He needs to recognize us—not as nominal members listed on a faded baptismal record but as thoroughly committed, faithfully believing, covenant-keeping disciples. This is an urgent matter for all of us, lest we ever hear with devastating regret: “I never knew you,” or, as Joseph Smith translated that phrase, “[You] never knew me.”

Pray for all of God's children to receive the gospel

 Back in 1979, President Russell M. Nelson attended a meeting where President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) charged them to pray that the doors of nations would be opened so that the gospel of Jesus Christ could be brought to all people on earth.

 President Nelson extended that same invitation to you. “My fourth invitation is for you to pray daily that all of God’s children might receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said President Nelson. “You and I are living to see, and will continue to see, Israel gathered with great power. And you can be part of the power behind that gathering!”

President and Sister Nelson's devotional to youth.

Kevin J. Worthen Story

 

A Prophetic Promise Fulfilled

By Kevin J Worthen (BA ’79, JD ’82) in the Spring 2023 Issue

• 
• 

In times of trial, we can rely on prophetic guidance.

Photo by A.J. Rich/Rich Vintage Photography

Some time ago I had one of those days when nothing seemed to be going right. The issues I was facing as BYU president seemed to have no solutions. No one seemed happy with what was happening, and I was completely unsure why I was in the position that I am in. Fortunately, those kinds of days are rare. But this was one of them. I just wanted to go home and be left alone.

However, several weeks earlier, Peggy and I had made an appointment to attend a temple session that evening. I recall hearing in my head President Russell M. Nelson’s recent urging for us to not only “make an appointment . . . to be in [the Lord’s] holy house” but also to “keep that appointment with exactness and joy.” And I remembered his promise “that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need.”¹

So I went to the temple, trying to be joyful and pleading to know what to do and to feel what I needed to feel.

I felt calmer during the endowment session, but I was still somewhat unsettled when the session ended. As Peggy and I spent some time in the celestial room, a young couple came over and introduced themselves as BYU students. They wanted to thank us for all that we did to make BYU a great place. They were full of joy and gratitude; it was clear that BYU had impacted them in a powerful way. This was its own tender mercy—maybe a miracle—to me.

Later, after changing into my street clothes and heading to the lobby to leave, I thought I should add someone’s name to the prayer roll—a practice I usually follow.

At first I thought: “No name comes to mind. Maybe I should just skip it this time.” But then I thought, “Surely someone can use a temple blessing.”

So I went to the area for adding names to the prayer roll. I wrote a name on a slip of paper and put it into the box. I then glanced down at a list of names that had been added by different people on a notepad. I usually pay no attention to that list, but, for some reason, this time I scanned it. Partway down I saw my name: “Kevin Worthen.” I was almost overcome. Someone, maybe one of the students in the celestial room, had added my name to the prayer roll that day. I felt a feeling of complete peace and a deep reassurance that everything would work out. And it did.

Some might think it was just a coincidence that someone wrote my name on the prayer roll list that day, that weeks earlier I had made an appointment to attend the temple on that day, and that on that day I happened to glance at the list. But for me it was a miracle—one God knew that I needed and that, consistent with President Nelson’s promise, God provided.

---

BYU president Kevin J Worthen gave the campus devotional from which this essay is excerpted and adapted, titled “The Power of Prophetic Promises,” on Jan. 10, 2023. The full text, audio, and video of the address are available at speeches.byu.edu.

Kevin J Worthen is the president of Brigham Young University.

NOTES

1. Russell M. Nelson, “Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints,” Ensign, November 2018.

"Do You Really Care What They Think?" and Distractions

 

Bound Securely to the Savior

CAMILLE N. JOHNSON

Primary General President

January 11, 2022

President Henry B. Eyring put it this way, which I find so simple:

One of the questions we must ask of our Heavenly Father in private prayer is this: “What have I done today, or not done, which displeases Thee? If I can only know, I will repent with all my heart without delay.” That humble prayer will be answered. And the answers will surely include the assurance that asking today was better than waiting to ask tomorrow.

Seek the Right Sources of Validation

And what about looking for validation and affirmation from unreliable sources? Could that create windage and put a strain on your connection to the Savior?

Value and pay heed to the opinions of people who you truly respect. I was taught that lesson by my parents—decades before social media created influencers. When an unkind thing was said about me, my mom or dad would counsel, “Do you really care what they think?” And as it turned out, I usually didn’t. And if I did, then perhaps the comment was not misplaced and I had some self-correction to make. Value and pay heed to your relationship with the Savior. Seek validation and affirmation from Him first.

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III counseled about ­distractions in his October general conference talk. He taught:

The devil is the great distractor. We learn from Lehi’s dream that voices from the great and spacious building seek to lure us to things that will take us off the course of preparing to return to live with God.

But there are other less-obvious distractions that can be just as dangerous. As the saying goes, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The adversary seems determined to get good people to do nothing, or at least to waste their time on things that will distract them from their lofty purposes and goals. For example, some things that are healthy diversions in moderation can become unhealthy distractions without discipline. The adversary understands that distractions do not have to be bad or immoral to be effective.

#aang

Greater Blessings in Store

Answers to Prayer

By Elder Brook P. Hales

Of the Seventy

The Father is aware of us, knows our needs, and will help us perfectly. Sometimes that help is given in the very moment or at least soon after we ask for divine help. Sometimes our most earnest and worthy desires are not answered in the way we hope, but we find that God has greater blessings in store. And sometimes our righteous desires are not granted in this life.

Soul in Prayer

Turn Your Heart toward the Lord

“Lift up your soul in prayer and explain to your Heavenly Father what you are feeling. Acknowledge your shortcomings. Pour out your heart and express your gratitude. Let Him know of the trials you are facing. Plead with Him in Christ’s name for strength and support. Ask that your ears may be opened, that you may hear His voice. Ask that your eyes may be opened, that you may see His light.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, “The Hope of God’s Light,” Ensign, May 2013, 75.

Memories of Blessings

You could have such an experience with the gift of the Holy Ghost today. You could begin a private prayer with thanks. You could start to count your blessings and then pause for a moment. If you exercise faith, with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you will find that memories of other blessings will flood into your mind. If you begin to express gratitude for each of them, your prayer may take a little longer than usual. Remembrance will come, and so will gratitude.

Recognize, Remember, and Give Thanks

By President Henry B. Eyring

First Counselor in the First Presidency

Prayers of Gratitude

There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much.

Ezra Taft Benson, God, Family, Country: Our Three Great Loyalties (1974), 199.

Prayers in Your Family

“Our Father Which Art in Heaven”

Elder L. Tom Perry

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Our prophets have admonished us repeatedly to make family prayer a regular part of our daily worship. President John Taylor asked the Saints:

“Do you have prayers in your family? …

“And when you do, do you go through the operation like the guiding of a piece of machinery, or do you bow in meekness and with a sincere desire to seek the blessing of God upon you and your household? That is the way that we ought to do, and cultivate a spirit of devotion and trust in God, dedicating ourselves to him, and seeking his blessings.” (Journal of Discourses, 21:118.)

Mind Wandering Prayers

In a Brigham Young University Women’s Conference address, Maurine Jensen Proctor said, “Serious reflection precedes revelation.” She continued:

“Prayer and spirituality demand mental discipline and focus. Is it any wonder that this kind of prayer does not lead to revelation: ‘Dear Heavenly Father, Thank thee for … did I thaw the meat for dinner? Bless us to … I hope this won’t take long. I have so much to do. And please bless … Is the party Friday or Saturday night?’

“Distractions are the enemy of pondering and serious reflection.”

Maurine Jensen Proctor, “Serious Reflection Precedes Revelation” (Brigham Young University Women’s Conference address, May 5, 2006), churchhistorianspress.org/at-the-pulpit.

Have A Relationship With Your Father in Heaven

 Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without. If you do not now have such a relationship with your Father in Heaven, I urge you to work toward that goal. As you do so, you will be entitled to His inspiration and guidance in your life—necessities for each of us if we are to survive spiritually during our sojourn here on earth. Such inspiration and guidance are gifts He freely gives if we but seek them.

Thomas S. Monson, "Stand in Holy Places," Ensign, Nov 2011, 84. 

Holy Places

Be Not Troubled

By Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Prayer can call down the strength and the revelation that we need to center our thoughts on Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice....

Our desire to “always have his Spirit”12 with us will push fear aside for a more eternal view of our mortal lives....

When we stand in holy places—our righteous homes, our dedicated chapels, the consecrated temples—we feel the Spirit of the Lord with us. We find answers to questions that trouble us or the peace to simply set them aside. That is the Spirit in action. ...

There is no room for fear in these holy places of God or in the hearts of His children. Why? Because of love. God loves us—always—and we love Him. Our love of God counters all fears, and His love abounds in holy places. Think about it. 

God Walk With Us

“God walks with us along the covenant path as we seek Him through prayerful pleadings, scriptural searchings, and obedient strivings.”

Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Seventy, “Am I a Child of God?” Ensign, May 2018, 14.