“Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer every child’s prayer?”[1]
At one time or another, many of us have asked in our heart the same direct, authentic, and hopeful question expressed in this touching children’s song, “Do you hear our prayers?”
At one point in my life, I felt that I was in a spiritual “funk.” I missed the level of frequent feelings of the Spirit I had felt in the past. One day during that period, I came across a large print book of scriptures which my mother had inherited from my father, and I had later inherited from my mother when she passed away.
As I opened the scriptures and thumbed through the pages, I felt especially connected to my parents. I noticed a bookmark with my mother’s handwriting on it. The scripture she had bookmarked was in Doctrine & Covenants section 88, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you . . .”[2] As I read that scripture, I felt a warm feeling in my heart. I knew that Heavenly Father and my mother were sending me a simple and clear message. I needed to recover my spiritual momentum and to more frequently feel the Spirit by praying more often and more sincerely.
“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you . . .”
Doctrine & Covenants 88:63
I pray especially fervently when I am overwhelmed with life. Inevitably, God sends his Spirit, the Comforter, to give me peace and calm in my heart, even amid chaos. I am not the only person to which this happens.
Many years ago, one of my young children had a serious medical issue. We flew to the United States to visit a specialized doctor, and my mother flew from her home in Michigan to meet us there. She was very concerned for our child.
My mother told me that after returning home, she began to pray for our child. She prayed for three days, repeatedly and more intently than she had ever prayed before. Then, after one of her prayers, she suddenly experienced a warmth originating from the top of her head and traveling down to all parts of her body. She felt an extreme peace and heard the words in her mind, “She will be all right.” Then, it was repeated, “She will be all right.” The joy she had at that moment brought tears to her eyes. She told me it was one of the most remarkable experiences of her life.
In the many subsequent years, that child has indeed been all right. My mother’s prayer was not only heard but also answered.
This feeling of peace from the Comforter happens to me so frequently when I pray, that I know God hears my prayers, even when the resolution of what I’ve prayed for is still far in the future.
As a youth, Joseph Smith was struggling to understand which church to join and was deeply impressed while reading the Epistle of James, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”[3]
After reading this scripture, Joseph Smith firmly believed that God would hear his prayer and not chastise him for asking a question. Not only did God hear Joseph’s earnest and faithful prayer, but he answered it in an unexpected way and with an unexpected calling for young Joseph.
Heavenly Father is all wise. He knows how we feel and what we need before we even bring it up. He is just waiting for us to ask. But He answers according to His will, not ours.
Just think of the joy our loving Father in Heaven must feel as we draw near to Him in prayer, express our gratitude to Him, and ask for His help. As an earthly father, I know I would be happy. I am delighted when my children ask for my help.
“Some say that heaven is far away, but I feel it close around me as I pray.”[4] This final phrase of the children’s song exactly describes my experience. Like the prophet whose words we read in the Book of Mormon, “… I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.”[5] I know this because time and again when I pray, He sends His Spirit, the Comforter, to bring peace to my heart. Therefore, as I wait for Him to respond to my pleadings according to His will, I feel that He is near.
[1] “A Child’s Prayer,” Children’s Songbook, 12
[2] Doctrine & Covenants 88:63
[3] James 1:5
[4] Children’s Songbook, 12
[5] 2 Nephi 33:3