Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament it tells us that those who behave ill in their doings will cry unto the Lord but He will not hear them and He will hide His face from them. If we want the Lord to hear and answer our prayers, we need to do what's right. Micah 3: 4 "Then shall they cry unto the Lord , but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings."

In the D&C I read Joseph Smith's pleadings with the Lord while in Liberty Jail regarding the suffering and persecutions of the saints. He asked, "O God, where art Thou?" Have you ever felt that way while going through times of trial? Wondering where God was and how long He would allow you to go through such heartache? Joseph Smith felt this way at times too. D&C 121: 1-3 "O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries? Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?"

Some verses with a thought booklet tell us that a leper came to Jesus in an attitude of worship and said, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." He showed forth faith, knowing Jesus could heal him, and acknowledged that it would happen if it was the Lord's will. This is an example of how we should approach the Lord in prayer with our requests. We should come to Him in an attitude of praise and worship, show forth faith, and always be willing to accept His will rather than demanding that our prayers be answered according to our own wishes. Matt. 8: 2-3 "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed."