To those who struggle to pray, Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, had simple counsel: “Keep praying.”
Speaking to students around the world during a BYU–Pathway devotional broadcast on Friday, April 3, Sister Runia taught: “When it feels like heaven is silent, keep praying. And on those days when you wonder out loud, ‘Why even pray?’ may I offer this one reply—because Jesus Christ did. When He lived on this earth and returned as a resurrected being, He prayed to the Father as if it made all the difference. And it did. And it can for you and me. Let’s keep praying.”
Sister Runia shared of her and her husband being called as mission leaders in Australia. After six months, their two youngest children decided to return to Utah to finish high school.
As their daughter, Berkeley, prepared to leave Australia, Sister Runia suggested they set an alarm on their phones to remind them to connect every day—Sister Runia in the morning in Australia, and Berkeley in the afternoon after school in Utah.
“One morning as I was waiting for her to call, I remember thinking, ‘What if, when each of us left our heavenly home, we made a similar agreement with our Father in Heaven?’” said Sister Runia. “And imagine if we said, ‘We’re going to miss each other so much. Let’s set this up. We’ll talk every morning and evening through prayer so we can connect every day.’”
Like the story with her daughter, Sister Runia asked, “Are we connecting to our Father in Heaven every day?”
She then shared three truths she has learned about prayer: “Prayer is a form of work,” “God wants to be found,” and “prayer changes us.”
See what else Sister Runia shared by reading the full Church News article.
More articles for you:
▶ How a prayer led this Latter-day Saint to build a support group for men
▶ What Pres. Oaks said in his first conference as the prophet
▶ Stirring new painting depicts how Christ eases our personal burdens
