Prayer is a powerful tool; it is a way for us to invite the Spirit into our lives so that we may know how to bless the lives of those around us. Through prayer, we can ask that our neighbors and our Church leaders be blessed. This month’s visiting teaching principle and First Presidency message invite us to consider ways that prayer can help us minister to our assigned families and prepare for the upcoming general conference.
Visiting Teaching Principle
One sister related that during a difficult period in her life, a phone call or simple text message often came from her visiting teachers on “particularly dark days.” They seemed to know just when she needed a lift. She knew that they prayed for her, both during their visits and on their own.
The scriptures share many examples of men and women who prayed for others by name. Among the most dramatic is the father of Alma the Younger. An angel spoke to Alma the Younger, telling him that his father “ha[d] prayed with much faith concerning thee . . .; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith” (Mosiah 27:14).
Praying for others not only invokes Heavenly Father’s blessings upon them but also helps us know how we can bless them too. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “Praying for others with all of the energy of our souls increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord.”
Read the full message on lds.org.
Ministering Tip: Next time you kneel to pray, think of the sisters you teach, mention their names as you ask God to bless them, and then ask for inspiration to know how you can better serve them.
First Presidency Message
The scriptures tell us that the first thing God did after creating man and woman was speak to them. He had vital information and precious instructions to give them. His purpose was not to burden or worry them but to guide them to happiness and eternal glory.
And that was just the beginning. From that day to this, God has continued to communicate with His children. His words have been preserved, treasured, and studied by disciples of every generation. They are revered by those who seek to know the will of God, and they bear witness to the truth that “the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
This has been the pattern since the beginning of time, and the pattern continues today. It is not just a nice Bible story; it is God’s established way of communicating essential messages to His children. He raises up individuals from our midst, calls them to be prophets, and gives them words to say, which we are invited to “receive, as if from [His] own mouth.” He has declared, “Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”
This is one of the most glorious, encouraging, and hopeful messages of the Restoration—God is not silent! He loves His children. He has not left us to wander in darkness.
Read the full message on lds.org.
Additional Reading Suggestion: “Sustaining the Prophets” by President Russell M. Nelson