SodySpokes

Sacrament Meeting Talk – Dec 23, 2007

We know that when God answers our prayers he often uses other people to help Him answer them. And he sometimes uses us to answer the prayers of others.
I wonder, in the answering of our prayers, if he ever utilizes the input of our loved ones from the other side.
You see, I figure that Bro Goode was either inspired…by my dad, or he had a stupor of thought, but just wouldn’t give it up…when he asked me to speak…Let me explain.

When Bro. Goode asked me two or three weeks ago, if I was going to be in Sacrament meeting on Dec 23rd , I replied, “yes, but I don’t sing… but thanks for asking.”
He replied, “I know you don’t sing, I don’t know what it is that you do, but it sure ain’t singing . And I’m not asking you to sing, I’m asking you to speak…But he didn’t give me a topic! But I’m not bitter!

So, I say to myself, “That’s weird! Does this mean I can talk on any topic I want? Or is he going to get back to me.

And then the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning the giving of talks, sank deep into my heart, and popped into my mind.
He hated it when we would start out a talk by saying, “The topic upon which I’ve been asked to speak upon is…”
Well, with no topic assigned I certainly couldn’t start it out that way, (So I figure its my dad’s influence that caused Short-T to not give me a topic.)

However, given the season and I, being asked to speak on December 23rd and all, the topic is kind of obvious…Its Joseph Smiths birthday today…
So…the topic upon which I’ve chosen to speak, upon, is Joseph Smith.

Now I now that some of you teacher types are cringing at that sentence. (But I’m quoting my dad, who was making fun of his kids, so its all okay.) Its almost grating isn’t it? The topic upon which I’ve been asked to speck upon is…

And then last week, Short-T caught up with me and said, “I don’t remember what your topic is, but include these two scriptures in your talk. — I don’t remember what they say, I just remember that I really liked them when I read them.

(So is this the stupor of thought process working, or is it my dad’s influence still not wanting me to have a topic?)

My first thought was, what if these two scriptures don’t fit in with my talk on Joseph Smith? And I was all worried.
But then I remembered my scout training…no, no, no, not that “be prepared” thing, although that would have been useful, but an incident at the district scout campout last fall.
They were having a catapult competition, and we were to build a catapult that included a clove hitch, a square lashing and a diagonal lashing.
The guy in charge of the competition builds a catapult that has all three knots on it, but they serve no purpose, they are just decorative. He says, “I never said they had to be functional, I just said that they had to be included.”

So here are the two scriptures, included in my talk, they may not be functional but they are included.

Alma 9:26
And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers.

Isaiah 65:24
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Joseph Smith, as you know, received an answer to his prayer, and it could be considered a quick response. In fact God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph while he was yet speaking.
Thru him, God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ restored the fullness of the everlasting gospel on the earth again, that we might be partakers of eternal life.
He is known as “the Latter-day Prophet of the Restoration.”

John Taylor wrote the following: D&C 135:3
“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that has ever lived in it…”

How did he do this?, you ask.
He did this by bringing forth the Book of Mormon.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on the earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”
Introduction to B of M

And if we don’t abide by its precepts, the Lord promises the following:

D&C 84:54,57
And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
57 And they (referring to the Church) shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written.

And then he gives this remarkable promise in verse 61.

61 For I will forgive you of your sins with this commandment…that you bear testimony to all the world of those things which are communicated unto you.

No wonder the Bishop has challenged us to read the Book of Mormon. By doing so our minds will be enlightened and our sins will be forgiven, as we bear testimony of it.

I bear testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and holds the answer to many of today’s questions.

One might ask:
If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever why will he
“be quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers.” In the millennium, when he won’t answer our prayers that fast today?

Well the Book of Mormon explains it in:

Mosiah 11
22 And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people.
23 And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord, the Almighty God.
24 Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies.
25 And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me.

In the Book of Mormon, the people of Limhi, while captives of the Lamanites, saw this prophesy fulfilled.

14 And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions.
15 And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage. Mosiah 21:14-15

That’s interesting!
They cried all the day long unto God,
He heard and answered their prayers…eventually,
and yet he did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage,
and why? Because of their iniquities.

How long do we pray?
What are we in bondage to, in our own lives?
(To what are we in bondage…to)
And why are we still in bondage to it?

Karen’s brother, Chuck, also experienced this prophecy being fulfilled.
His son Timmy got his arm caught in an automatic chicken plucking machine, and it chewed-up his arm something fierce. He started praying, for perhaps the first time in a long, long time, for his son to be healed. And then it dawned on him, why should the Lord listen to him, when he wasn’t willing to listen to the Lord?
So he started going to church, turned his life around, and went thru the Temple, even though his wife is a non-member.
Today his son’s arm is completely functional, scarred, but completely functional, where the doctors had thought that he would be on disability the rest of his life.

So we find that the Lord IS the same yesterday, today, and forever. How fast he answers our prayers is dependent upon how faithful we are in keeping His commandments.

Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10

The Lord tells us in Mosiah:
41 And moreover, I would desire that ye would consider on the blessed and happy state of those who keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual;
and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven,
that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. Mosiah 2:41

Will we just be more righteous during the millennium, or do you suppose there are other factors?

Have you ever noticed that you can have a conversation with your spouse and you already know what they are going to say, before they say it; and they know what you are going to say, before you say it? And you can actually finish each others sentences? In fact, sometimes its easier to just have the conversation, without them actually being there?

The Lord sometimes referrers to himself as the Bridegroom, and we, as his bride, in describing his relationship with us. (As opposed to his children, or his friends, or his servants.)

Do you suppose that as our relationship with the Lord changes and evolves, our ability to communicate evolves also?

Perhaps that that is what the Lord had in mind when he says: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

Maybe we are just not recognizing the answers to our prayers?
What are some of the ways God answers prayers?

The Lord talks about a burning in your bosom, that ye shall feel the thing to be right, or a stupor of thought, that shall cause you to forget the thing that is wrong. D&C 9:7-9

He asks, did I not enlighten thy mind? Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning this matter? D&C 6:15, 23

Sometimes if we are past feeling and cannot feel his words, he could speak with a voice like unto a voice of thunder. He has done so in the past, why not now? 1 Nephi 17:45

But more often than not “He will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost.” For this is the spirit of revelation, behold this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground. D&C 8:2,3

When answering our prayers,
Sometimes God calms the storm…
Sometimes He lets the storm rage,
And calms His child.

It is my Testimony that Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet of God.
He brought forth the Book of Mormon, which is scripture.
Thru him the everlasting gospel has been restored to the earth.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the face of the earth today.
We have modern day prophets that continue to receive revelation for us.
Jesus is the Christ and is my Savior.
God hears and answers prayers according to our faithfulness in keeping His commandments.

May we be more diligent to the things we know to be true, I pray.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Tags: Answers, Bishop, Blessing, Burden, Church, Father, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Talks |

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