Answers to Prayer

"Sometimes answers to prayer are not recognized because we are too intent on wanting confirmation of our own desires. We fail to see that the Lord would have us do something else. Be careful to seek His will. I confess I don't know how to make a correct decision except where there is righteousness and trust in a Heavenly Father. . . . If there is unrepented sin, we are left to our own devices to flounder and struggle on our own. We can be rescued through our own repentance. When we seek inspiration to help make decisions, the Lord gives gentle promptings. These require us to think, to exercise faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act. Seldom does the whole answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at once. More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight. . . . [This] counsel about prayer is true. I have tested it thoroughly in the laboratory of my own personal life. I have discovered that what sometimes seems an impenetrable barrier to communication is a giant step to be taken in trust. If you seek His help, be sure your life is clean, your motives are worthy, and you're willing to do what He asks—for He will answer your prayers. He is your loving Father; you are His beloved child. He loves you perfectly and wants to help you."

- Richard G. Scott, Ensign, Nov. 1989, 32