I watched a storm roll across the sky once. It was magnificent and fierce; it’s black belly churning in its fury. Then suddenly a pinpoint of light pierced the tempest. The light grew and dissipated the darkness suddenly and rapidly. There was no dramatic dialogue between the elements; simply a resignation of defeat from the clouds of darkness and an unfolding banquet of light gleaming upon all benefactors.

With the sun comes all light and life. The sun is there—always. Even though clouds may obscure its view for a moment in time, the sun will come again through the darkness.

How do we know that Heavenly Father is there? How do we know that Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice is real and will do all that He says it will? How do we know that we have already been rescued from the eternal darkness? How do we really know?

Joseph Smith opened the heavens with a single, humble prayer. He knew. These are his words:

“Search the Scriptures—search the revelations which we publish, and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory, nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God, nor will there be any room for speculation. No; for when men receive their instruction from Him that made them, they know how He will save them.” (TPJS pgs. 11-12)

We have proof all around us. We have the testimony of the presiding authority of this Church throughout this last dispensation. They have all spoken of their personal relationship with the Savior. They have counseled us on how we can gain a personal relationship for ourselves if we but follow the steps necessary.

1. Call upon the Lord in daily and consistent personal prayer.

2. Fast often, coming before the Lord on bended knee, and testify of His grace.

3. Be humble and not proud.

4. Confess our sin and repent.

5. Be obedient to ALL of the commandments.

6. Ask the Lord in faith, believing.

7. Be ready to sacrifice.

8. Recognize our blessings and be thankful.

9. See His mighty power and acknowledge it through personal righteousness.

10. Show patience as you practice valiant behavior.

1.     Call Upon The Lord In Daily And Consistent Personal Prayer

We know the drill. Alma tells us how to pray, where to pray, and how often to pray (see Alma 34). Apparently, we can’t ever pray too much.

“I say once more, this is the motif of this whole modern dispensation. Pray, pray always, has been the counsel of our leaders, of our prophets, and of our Heavenly Father. Brethren and sisters, pray, pray in humility, pray always, pray in your families, pray in secret; live, keeping the commandments of the Lord, so that your prayers may ascend to our Heavenly Father.” (J. Reuben Clark, CR, Oct 1952)

 

2.  Fast Often, Coming Before The Lord On Bended Knee, And Testify Of His Grace

We tend to ask Heavenly Father for a lot of things. Is it good to ask for every little desire we have? Do we start to demand too much from Him? If it’s important to us, isn’t it important to Him?

“The time will come when we shall know the will of God before we ask. Then everything for which we pray will be “expedient.” Everything for which we ask will be “right.” That will be when as a result of righteous living, we shall so enjoy the companionship of the spirit that he will dictate what we ask. (Marion G. Romney, CR, Oct 1944).

Yes, Heavenly Father does care about every little thing in our lives, and He is close when we need reassurance, help, guidance, and simple answers. But we need to be selective and center our asking on His will for us. Our righteous living will narrow the field of our personal minutiae.

 

3.  Be Humble And Not Proud

Humility is a constant thorn in our sides. It takes a lot of pain, embarrassment, struggle, hardship, and hurt to feel humble. And as soon as we recognize that we are “there”, we’ve lost it and have to start all over again. Pride led to the destruction of the Jaredites and the Nephites and many other powerful nations. It will ultimately be the destruction of the United States. But we as individuals can seek humility and trust that the Lord will accept our humble efforts.

“The kind of faith that includes trust in the Lord stands in contrast to many imitations. Some people trust no one but themselves. Some put their highest trust in a friend or another family member, perhaps because they feel that person is more righteous or more wise than they. But that is not the Lord’s way. He told us to put our faith and our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Dallin H. Oaks, Young Women Meeting, Apr 1994)

 

4.  Confess Our Sin And Repent

We have all come down to a fallen world, thus we are born in sin. Add to that our daily temptations, weaknesses, failings, and disobedience, and we have plenty reason to get on our knees and confess mightily.

“Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.” (D&C 93:1) This is the promise the Lord gives each of you wonderful sisters—as a child, as a youth, as a woman—to draw you heavenward.” (J. Thomas Fyans, Women’s Meeting, Oct 1985)

 

5.  Be Obedient To ALL Of The Commandments

It is so hard to keep all of the commandments we have been given, but if we want eternal life obeying all of them is a nonnegotiable prerequisite. By reading and studying all of our scriptures we will find the commandments, understand why they are important to obey, and gain strength and conviction to comply.

 

6.  Ask The Lord In Faith, Believing

We begged to come down to this earth to show Heavenly Father that we chose Him, and can choose Him again. It is by faith we choose Him every day. How do we choose Him? By believing His Son, Jesus Christ, who said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Our agency allows us to rise and fall according to our desires and weaknesses. But the Lord sends us the Holy Ghost, angels, and His Spirit to strengthen us that we might be believing and full of faith.

“When we try to develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ rather than merely cultivating faith as an abstract principle of power, we understand the meaning of the Savior’s words: “If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moro. 7:33) (Dallin H. Oaks, Young Women Meeting, Apr 1994).

 

7.  Be Ready To Sacrifice

“Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people…” (D&C 64:23).

Next time we have a lesson on tithing, think about the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for all of us—100% of everything He had. How can we add weight and conviction to our mere 10% offering?

 

8.  Recognize Our Blessings And Be Thankful

Elder Bednar spoke once of a time his wife was asked to give a prayer without asking for anything, but only reflecting on gratitude. (Pray Always) This is an exercise we should all engage in once in a while, if not regularly.

“Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His words. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.” (Thomas S. Monson, CR Oct 2010)

 

9.  See His Mighty Power And Acknowledge It Through Personal Righteousness

Power is real. Satan has a lot of power, but God has more power. And it is available to all of us upon a moment’s request. Remember how the Nephites were swift to defeat the Lamanites when they were more righteous? And remember how they were defeated by the Lamanites when they had forsaken that righteousness? The Lord is there and will always come to the rescue of His faithful. (See the writings of Jarom and Omni)

 

10.  Show Patience As You Practice Valiant Behavior

“Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God’s purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable.”  Neal A. Maxwell, BYU Devotional, 27 Nov 1979)

Ultimately, everything points to the Atonement.

“The Savior gave us the model for that kind of faith and trust. Remember how he prayed to the Father in the agony of Gethsemane? This was the culminating event of his life, the climactic fulfillment of his mission as our Savior. The gospel of Luke, as corrected in the inspired translation of the Prophet Joseph Smith, describes how he knelt down and prayed: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done” (JST, Luke 22:42)

Here we see the Savior’s absolute faith and trust in the Father. “Nevertheless,” he said, “not my will, but thine be done.” The Father’s answer was to deny the plea of his Only Begotten Son. The Atonement had to be worked out by that lamb without blemish. But though the Son’s request was denied, his prayer was answered. The scripture records: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (JST, Luke 22:43)

Strengthened from heaven to do the will of the Father, the Savior fulfilled his mission. “And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly; and he sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (JST, Luke 22:44) (Dallin H. Oaks, Young Women Meeting, Apr 1994).

We were sent down to earth to prove ourselves worthy of receiving Jesus Christ’s redeeming sacrifice. But Satan desires to have us, trick us, and hold us down to the elements of destruction. Valiantly calling upon our Father, in Jesus Christ’s holy name, light will pierce the doom giving us needed strength, might, and power.