In the Lord’s prayer, the Savior instructs us to say, “Thy will be done.” He then teaches us what this looks like by His perfect example throughout His life and, most poignantly, during His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. When discussing this concept in a ward I was visiting, a woman shared, “I feel like I have a plan—an idea—of what my life should look like and what I will do.  But over and over I find that God’s plan for my life is different than mine.  I wonder sometimes why He doesn’t like any of my ideas. I feel like they’re pretty good.  It’s easy to turn our will over to Him when it’s not something we really care about, but when we have strong feelings about it, bending our will to His can be really hard!”  

Do we believe that His idea, His plan, His will, is better than ours?

 “Your life will be easier when you accept that what God does in your life is for your eternal good.” Richard G. Scott

 Years ago, I had a child who was breaking the rules.  I scoured parenting books and tried various behavior modification methods, but nothing helped.  I felt the need for more drastic action. I prayed about my decision and the answer, clearly, was, “No.” I was upset and discouraged. How could I ever be a good parent if my interpretation of the scriptures and words of the prophets had not been the right thing to do? I forgot that the Lord taught, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…” I was completely missing the point that because I had prayed, He was guiding me to do what was best for this particular child—one He knows well and loves. God won’t leave me alone to figure it out! I have all the tools I need if I do my best and then seek direction from the Holy Ghost. 

I’ve been blessed for accepting God’s will and following His direction. After living in Utah for three years, I had a strong impression that our family needed to move back to Las Vegas.  I didn’t want to.  At all.  I liked my new area and friends and dreaded taking my family back to a place with so many in-your-face temptations and evil influences. I especially worried about my son, who was just about to start his senior year in high school.  Knowing it would be hard on him, I shared with him my feeling that Heavenly Father wanted us to move. He was sad about it, but didn’t grumble, instead, he looked at me and simply said, “If you feel that’s what we’re supposed to do, then I’m good with that.” His faith strengthened mine and helped me get through that hard time. I couldn’t understand how it could be a good idea to move back, but I believed God knew.

A few years later, my dad, who lived near us, had a sudden and unexpected stroke, and only lived a few short weeks before returning to his Heavenly home.  I was blessed to be by his bedside, helping and supporting him, and being there to comfort my sisters and my mom.  After his death, Mom needed help, so we made some adjustments to our home and invited her to live with us.  She’s been with me since that time, five years ago.  I’ve been continually thankful that I listened to the prompting to move close to them. Our Father in Heaven knows what we need and kindly, generously, leads us, if we let Him.

“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good…” Alma 37:37

A couple of years ago, my mother-in-law began losing strength in her legs and having balance trouble.  Several times she fell and had to be helped up, even needing the paramedics to come in a time or two.  During a visit, my father-in-law told me that sometimes she couldn’t get up from kneeling to say her prayers.  I was stunned.  This dear, faithful, elderly lady was still kneeling for her prayers, even when she could barely stand on her weakened legs. I felt humbled by her example. I don’t kneel as often as I should.  I had knee trouble for several years, which made kneeling painful and distracting.  I stopped kneeling during that time and got out of the habit. Her dedication made me want to do better.

Often, I pray in my car. This started when I was attending the temple weekly. The 40-minute drive became my favorite time to pour out my soul, away from family interruptions, noise, and distractions. Now I sit in my car while my daughter attends early morning seminary.  In the quiet, the dark, I again have the distraction-free space to have a heart-to-heart with my Father. There’s something about praying aloud that heightens my connection with Him.  When I’m alone, I can be completely genuine, letting out all my tears, my fears, and my hopes to my Father in Heaven.  I have no doubt that He hears me.

“Make time every day to share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Tell Him everything that concerns you. He is interested in the most important as well as the most mundane facets of your life. Share with Him your full range of feelings and experiences.”

Richard G. Scott

Recently, while visiting my daughter, I joined in the family prayer.  As I listened, I was brought to tears by the sweet words of my grandson, “Please bless Gran.” Hearing the high, innocent, trusting tones of that boy, asking his Heavenly Father to bless me, humbled and touched my heart deeply. I experienced a tender feeling of being loved and nurtured.

One of my favorite scripture passages is John 17, where the Savior prays for His apostles and for all those who believe on Him through their word.  That includes me. He asks that we can be one with Him and Heavenly Father, know that they love us, and be made perfect so we can be with them forever. Jesus prays for me.

Prayer is a gift.  Expressing our deepest, most distressing or joyful feelings, helps us more fully understand, internalize, and absorb them. The scriptures tell us He knows what things we have need of, but many times we have no idea what we really need.  Praying is more than asking; it’s sharing who we are deep inside, trusting that He will still love us and bless us with all we need.  It strengthens our relationship with Him as we get to better know and love Him.

Life is unpredictable.  There are so many circumstances that are out of our control, people we can’t help, problems we can’t solve.  When something is troubling us or someone is hurting, we can pray, and know that we are heard and loved. Knowing the Father of us all is calmly in control, knows what’s best for each of us, and will help us in every circumstance, is a blessing I cherish.