Our Connection to Our Loving Father

Another song lyric (along with the help of an amazing friend) got me thinking today. In a song by the band Oh, Sleeper (which name comes from the same scripture the title of my blog comes from) they have a lyric that comes from the perspective of Heavenly Father. It goes, "If you could see like me, you'd see." I've found that one of the most difficult things to do in life is to obtain an eternal perspective, to understand that God is really looking out for me and leading me to where I need to be. As I thought about how we come to gain this, the thought that came across my mind is that through prayer we come to better know and understand Him.

"Grace" by Eric Enstrom. My favorite picture of a man in prayer.

Oftentimes when we're visiting people, I try to impress on people the true nature of our relationship with God. He is our literal Father, the creator of our spiritual bodies. We are His children, His beloved sons and daughters. Unlike the fathers of our flesh however, God is a perfect father, He is all-knowing and He loves us perfectly. Surely we would all want to have a relationship with a being like this, someone who wants us to be happy and has our best interests at heart. So how do we build and maintain a relationship such as this? The answer is communication!

How do you think a father would feel if when their child came home from school, they walked straight past them without acknowledging them and just headed into their room and shut the door? How do you think Heavenly Father feels when we constantly ignore Him? President James E. Faust once said: 

"Prayer is a lifeline between God and mankind. Prayer fulfills a very important human need. Each of us has problems we can’t solve, weaknesses that we cannot conquer without reaching to a higher source of power. He is all knowing, all loving, understanding and full of compassion."

Through Prayer, we can access this love and compassion from our Heavenly Father, we can find answers to life's questions. Alma teaches us in the Book of Mormon to pray about every aspect of our lives! Over our school, our work, our families, our relationships with our wives and our children. He teaches to pray morning, mid-day and night, and to have a prayer in our hearts continually. God can and will help and direct us in every facet of our lives. We just need to reach out to him! He will help you! Concerning the help of the Lord that he has felt in his life, President Hinckley said:

"It has been said that we should pray as if everything depends on the Lord and work as if everything depends on us. I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work."

At times in my life however, I have felt that my communication to Heavenly Father was one-sided, that I spoke to Him, but that He would never speak back to me. President Kimball has said concerning this troubling thought:

"But is prayer only one-way communication? No! At the end of our prayers, we need to do some intense listening—even for several minutes. We have prayed for counsel and help. Now we must ‘be still, and know that [he is] God’ (Ps. 46:10). Sometimes ideas flood our mind as we listen after our prayers. Sometimes feelings press upon us. A spirit of calmness assures us that all will be well. But always, if we have been honest and earnest, we will experience a good feeling—a feeling of warmth for our Father in Heaven and a sense of his love for us."

I have followed that counsel and I can promise to everyone that God does indeed continue to speak! He has spoken to me, He has comforted and uplifted my heart and I have seen His hand guide me in my life! Do not be afraid to experience this for yourself. I have talked to so many people who have never vocally prayed, and are not comfortable doing so. They do not know what to say or how to say it. President Henry B. Eyring said: 

"When God commanded us to pray, he has used worlds like unceasingly and ‘pray always’ and ‘mighty prayer.’ Those commands do not require many words. The Savior has told us that we need not multiply words when we pray. The diligence in prayer which God requires does not take flowery speech nor long hours of solitude. You can pray anywhere, anytime, in your heart or aloud."

Speak the thoughts of your heart and the Lord will hear you! He will comfort you! This is my testimony and I give it in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen. 

The Overwhelming Love of God

I love this famous painting! It is a beautiful depiction of God reaching out to touch the hand of man. I was once fortunate enough to even tour the St. Peter's Basilica and see it in person. Recently though, this image has taken on a whole new meaning to me because of the profound observation a wonderful fellow missionary made.

As I've thought about God's love in my life, I've found that I can relate it perfectly to the picture of God and Adam, as can we all. One thing that we are constantly talking to people about is the immense love that our Heavenly Father has for each and every one of us. We are all His precious sons and daughters. As a perfect being, God's love for us is perfect. He is a perfect parent who knows us perfectly.

Look at the painting. Note how God is fully stretched out, reaching as far as he can to touch the hand of man. Adam however is just laying there, slouched over passively reaching to grasp the hand of his Father. I feel like this is the experience of many of us! God reaches out and does everything He can for each and everyone of His beloved children. If you are not feeling the love or influence of God in your life, all we must do is make a tiny effort to come closer to him. Communicate with Him! If we make the changes in our lives to align our actions with His will, I can promise you will feel  the influence of His Holy Spirit in your life and you will more fully feel God's love! It's my hope that we can all reach back to grab the hand of our loving Heavenly Father. I'm grateful that because of His overwhelming love, we don't have to reach far, but as we come to Him, we will all feel the wonderful joy that will come into our lives!

I know this to be true, because it has been my own experience and I know that all are entitled to these blessings of His divine love. 1 Cor. 10:13 - "God is faithful."