So I know it has been a while, but there hasn't been tons to update on, we live kinda a boring life, but it works for us. But we are doing well. Just working, and living life and enjoying being married! I couldn't have asked for a better husband. I got the chance to speak in church today, and just wanted to post it here to have for the future.
In 3rd Nephi chapter 18 verse 21 it reads “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.” I was asked to speak today on How Prayer and daily Scripture Study blesses our lives.
Through Family Pray, we can improve our communication. In a talk given by Diane Ferguson titled Families That Pray Together, they gave examples from families of the blessings they received through family prayer. One example talked about how they would communicate about blessings they were thankful for, or blessings they needed for themselves or friends before their family prayer. They talked about anything they felt should be brought before the Lord. I think this is a great example, this teaches children things they can pray for, as well as helps them to feel comfortable about praying for them. It also brings them closer as a family because they were praying for each other and communicating.
We can receive answers through prayer, which I think is a huge blessing. Bonnie Adams shared her story in that same talk. She talks about how she was running late, and she told her children that there would not be enough time to pray together. She says, “To my surprise, my children objected. I said ‘Ok, but I’m too grumpy this morning. Who will say it?’ “My youngest replied, ‘I will, Mommy.’ “My little boy said things only Heavenly Father could know about my so called problem, without realizing it. He asked Heavenly Father to bless me because I was having a hard time and he missed my smile. The prayer gave me an answer I’d been searching for, an answer I needed to hear. After the prayer, I opened my eyes and immediately smiled a real, sincere, ear-to-ear smile, though my eyes were brimming with tears. I kissed my boys and walked them to school. When I came home, I knelt down again to thank my Heavenly Father for my beautiful child’s prayer and for the comfort I had found through family prayer.”
A couple weeks ago I had a bad couple of days. I had some hard feelings, that I didn’t want to have. I kept a constant prayer that I could get rid of those feelings. I knelt down that night and asked Heavenly Father to help me, because I didn’t want to feel that way. I prayed hard, and knew I needed to say thank you for the wonderful blessings I have been given, but I told myself I just couldn’t do that right then. The next day I was still having a hard time, and my husband and I were out getting dinner, when he says to me “So the home teaching lesson tonight was on gratitude, and how we need to make a choice to be grateful. They had a challenge at the end of the message and that was to make a list of 100 things you are thankful for.” He continued to tell me how they broke it down into 10 things in groups to make it a little easier, but also how you realize once you get doing it, 100 things really isn’t too many. I kind of brushed it off just like I did the feeling to be thankful when I was praying. I came home and messaged a friend of mine to vent a little bit. When I received her reply, I realized that I wasn’t listening to the answer Heavenly Father was trying to give me. One thing she said really stood out to me, and that was that I needed to use this experience to grow closer to my Heavenly Father and my husband. I had been praying that I would be able to get rid of that feeling, and stopped listening because it wasn’t the answer I wanted. Prayer helps teach you how to listen, as well as recognize the spirit. Another blessing that comes from praying, is Heavenly Father knows your needs and is able to help, once you ask for it. We can also be blessed through others because of prayer.
We can learn Faith through praying, a classic example is in James 1:5-6 and it reads, “ 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.” Joseph Smith is a great example of how he had to have faith in order to find out about the true church.
Another blessing of prayer we can receive is to ask for the spirit to be with us, as well as to know the truth of things. This is a very helpful blessing, especially when we use it to study the Scriptures. In the Scriptures we can learn about our Savior, and know him better, as well as strengthen our relationship with him.
In the talk given by Bruce Harper titled Seeking the Influence of the Spirit through Daily Scripture Study, he talks about his experience with daily scripture study with his family. He says “Once our daughter Lori was spending the night with some girlfriends. As they were preparing for bed, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten to do that day. “oh,” she said aloud, “I haven’t read the scriptures yet today.” Two of her friends realized that they had not read either, so they borrowed a copy of the Book of Mormon and read together. He continues by saying, “Such diligence in scripture reading had not been a long established habit in our family. Perhaps we were not much different from many other families in the Church when it came to studying the scriptures. We knew we should study the scriptures; we wanted to study the scriptures, but we had never had much success in our attempts. Finally, we decided to dedicate ourselves to gaining a habit of scripture reading. To help us in achieving this goal, we adopted an approach presented by Carvel Whiting, our Stake Sunday School president. His method was simple. He made the habit of reading something each day the primary objective of his program. The goal was to establish an attitude, to raise the scriptures in our awareness. He did not specify how much we should study each day, nor did he suggest that we study in a specific way. We were simply encouraged to read the scriptures every day, no matter how briefly, and to keep a record of how many consecutive days we had read, even if we read only one verse.” He talks about how they would keep track of the days they had read and once they reached certain consecutive days, like 10 days, 30 days, 50 days, and so on, they earned some sort of reward or recognition in their family. This helped them develop a good attitude about the scriptures, as well as bring them closer as a family and help one another to meet their goals.
I really liked the talk The Power of Scripture given by Richard G. Scott. He says, “Our Father in Heaven understood that for us to make desired progress during our mortal probation, we would need to face difficult challenges. Some of these would be almost overpowering. He provided tools to help us be successful in our mortal probation. One set of those tools is the scriptures.” He goes on to talk about how throughout time, Heavenly Father has chosen select people to find out the solutions to certain problems, and record it, so that we as his children can benefit from it. He also says “Because scriptures are generated from inspired communication through the Holy Ghost, they are pure truth. We need not be concerned about the validity of concepts contained in the standard works since the Holy Ghost has been the instrument which has motivated and inspired those individuals who have recorded the scriptures. Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high. They can become the key to open the channel to communion with our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.” He also talks about how the scriptures are always there when we need them. He says, “Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world.” What an awesome blessing to always be able to have that in our life, whenever we need them! He also talks about the power that can come from memorizing scripture, and how when you memorize a scripture, it is like making a new friendship. He says, “It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change.” Scriptures can also be a form of support, and help give us direction in our lives. They can also calm an agitated soul, give peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s ability to overcome the challenges of life. He also talks about how one scripture can give guidance in more than one situation. I really like this talk, because it teaches us the powerful blessings that can come from scripture study. It helped me to look at the scriptures in a new way, and I really like being able to think of them as a friend.
Elder David A. Bednar gave a talk Because We have Them before Our eyes. He asks the question How can I make Scripture study more edifying and effective? I think this is an important question to understand, in order to really be able to receive and enjoy the blessings that can come from scripture study. He lists 5 principles to help. The first principle is Pray for understanding and invite the help of the Holy Ghost. He says, “The things of the Spirit can be learned only by and through the influence of the Spirit. It is helpful to not only at the beginning, but to plead for understanding as you study.” The second principle is Work. He likens the Holy Ghost as our tutor. In order to find the scripture treasures, we need to work to find it. He says, “We cannot expect to reap a rich scriptural harvest unless we pay the price of regular and diligent study.” The third principle is Be consistent. Good intentions and simply hoping to find time for scripture study are not good enough. Try to set aside a certain time of day and place to study. The fourth principle is Ponder. The word Ponder means to Consider, Contemplate reflect upon, or think about. The process of pondering takes time and can’t be forced, hurried, or rushed. President Ezra Taft Benson said, “If the Book of Mormon writers saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, “Why did the Lord inspire Mormon or Moroni or Alma to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?” The fifth principle is Write down impressions thoughts and feelings. Elder Richard G Scott said, “You will find that as you write down precious impressions, often more will come. Also, the knowledge you gain will be available throughout your life. Always, day or night, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, seek to recognize and respond to the direction of the Spirit. Express gratitude for the help received and obey it. This practice will reinforce your capacity to learn by the Spirit. It will permit the Lord to guide your life.”
In another talk titled Savoring the Scriptures given by Terie Wiederhold, she talks about how even though she was trying to read the Scriptures daily, she realized she wasn’t feasting upon the words of Christ. As she incorporated the 5 principles into her daily scripture study, she noticed changes such as Dread became Delight, becoming a better parent, and help with Trials. She talks about how she didn’t always want to read the scriptures every day, but still kept trying to form that habit. As time went on, she came to look forward to the time when she could read the scriptures because of the peace it brought. She says, “When I began to enjoy scripture study, I also realized how many other aspects of my life were benefiting. I began to understand what President Gordon B. Hinckley meant when he said: “I am grateful for the emphasis on reading the scriptures. I hope that for you this will become a love affair with the word of God. I promise you that as you read, your minds will be enlightened and your spirits will be lifted. At first it may seem tedious, but that will change into a wondrous experience with thoughts and words of things divine.” She also talks about how when she started studying the scriptures more diligently, instead of getting mad at her children at the trivial problems, she was able to have more peace, and be a more loving mother. She said that many times as she prayed about a particular problem, the answer would come in form of a scripture that she had read or memorized.
I know in my own life that when we have been diligent in reading the scriptures together, it has strengthened our relationship, and I really look forward to doing it with my husband, and hearing the insight that he has. I know it helps us to feel the spirit stronger through our day. I know that through prayer and scripture study, we can be blessed when we are having trials, and be able to have peace. I am thankful for the blessings that we receive from it.
