"Nearer My God to Thee"
This month as we honor our fathers and reflect up our relationships and love for them I would like to take a moment to reflect of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Each of us have had moments, perhaps long moments, of feelings of separation. Even the Savior of the world, when he was on the cross, felt his Father far from him. And then there are times when you feel the closeness of God, your Father, and that you are his beloved child. Those times can come more often.
If you want to stay close to someone who has been dear to you, but from whom you are separated, you know how to do it. I have best friend, who has been my best for nearly 20 years. For the past 10 years we have not lived near each other until now. She lives in West Des Moines, only 30 minutes away, and you know what... we are still best friends, we are like giddy little school girls who want to play everyday because we are so excited to live so close to one another again. And how did we do it, how did we keep our friendship alive? First, you find a way to speak to them, second you listen to them, and finally you discover ways to do things for each other. The more often that happens, the deeper the bond of affection. If much time passes without the speaking, the listening, and the doing, the bond weakens.
God is our Father, he loves us, and he offers the same opportunity to draw closer to him as would a loving friend. And you do it in much the same way: speaking, listening, and doing. He has said, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (D&C 88:63)
Prayer is the means by which we speak to our Heavenly Father. The Lord has said, “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth... (D&C 19:38) President Eyring has counselled, “We must pray regularly in words and continually in feeling.” As you pray you must seek to align your will with God’s. Indicate your faith and trust in His answers.Try to recall what commandments the blessings for which you have asked are predicated upon. And listen.
Now, you and I need to listen with great care. There are several ways which God can speak with us. He may speak directly to your heart. Or he may speak to you through the scriptures. Finally,he speaks to you through the voice of latter-day prophets. It is the Spirit which will bear record to your heart as you read the scriptures, as you listen to the prophets, and as God speaks directly to your heart. You can listen and hear if you believe. As you listen, make a commitment... to pay the price... to do the thing that your request is predicated upon.
Finally, you must act after you have listened because when you hear his voice by the Spirit you will always feel that you are impelled to do something. How often do receive an answer to our prayers, but do not truly hear it because we do not like it. It has happened to me and I hope I am not the only one. When I was almost 21 years old I was trying to decide what to do with my life, how to continue my education. My father kept prodding me to go on a mission, but I simply didn’t want to. I had other good goals and dreams about my education and temple marriage, but I also didn’t feel like I was receiving any answers to my prayers for guidance. One day my Dad was very blunt and told me I was “kicking against the pricks.” That I night I knelt in prayer with a much more open heart and did receive the answer that I should serve a mission. There was only one problem... I still didn't want to.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, I give only one counsel: Continue in prayer, maybe for for days or weeks. Pray not that the Lord will change his mind, but that you will have a change of heart and that your desires will come into alignment with God’s will for you. This is what I did, my prayers were answered, and I served a most rewarding mission.
Sometimes we feel that instruction seems accompanied with rebuke. You might prefer that God simply tell you how well you are doing. But he loves you. He wants you to be with him, and knows you must have a mighty change in your heart, through faith, repentance, and the making and keeping of sacred covenants. That’s why the Proverbs record this: “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” (Prov. 3:11–12)
You will find something else in the pattern of correction you have felt. Do you notice how much of it is an urging to do something for someone else? That is no surprise. God loves his children. We have great needs. Everything belongs to God, so there is not much you can give him, but you can give kindness to his children. I have two wonderful little boys, and if you were to be my earthly friend, you would win my heart by being kind to my children. God loves his children more than any earthly parent, so think what your kindness to his children means to him.
The day will come when we will see him again. President Benson described it this way: “Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us.” (“Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” in Speeches of the Year, 1974, Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1975, p. 313.) But when you see him, you will know his voice, because you will have prayed, listened, obeyed, and come to share the thoughts and intents of his heart. You will have drawn nearer to him.
I pray that we will. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
p.s. please ignore any typos and forgive me for any poorly written sentences, this was originally written out only to guide my thoughts and my talk as I delivered it so I didn't really worry about perfect grammar or exact phrasing.
p.p.s. here are some pictures of the boys, just because.
Smile!
Backpack, sock, and snacks
At a park (almost everyday)
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