Personal Response by Natalie

Yes! He really does. I have felt the powerful assurance that God does hear my prayers many times in my life. I know that the Savior’s message, recorded in the New Testament, still rings true: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

Last summer I was preparing to begin my first year at Brigham Young University. As it got closer to the time that I had to move out, I began to get really nervous. I worried about who my roommates would be, how hard my classes would be, and how difficult living away from home for the first time would be. I remember one night being particularly worried and stressed about everything. In tears, I knelt next to my bed and prayed to my Father in Heaven that He would fill me with comfort. Almost immediately I felt a calm assurance wash over me and I knew my prayer had been answered. I knew that the Lord knew me and loved me and that I had nothing to fear. As I continued to look forward to starting the new semester, the words of this scripture went through my mind “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36). This too, was a simple, peaceful reminder from a loving Heavenly Father that everything would be okay.

A couple of weeks ago I had another powerful experience with prayer. I had been going through a rough week-I had just finished an anatomy midterm, a difficult physics exam was coming up, final exams were in one week, and I had just had a bad break-up. To make it all worse, my family was gone on a vacation at the time and I was home alone. I felt depressed, discouraged, and very alone. I felt incapable and unloved. Again, I turned to prayer. I pleaded with Heavenly Father that He take away some of the hurt and sadness I was feeling. I pleaded also that my mind would be clear to concentrate on my test. At first I felt that God had not heard me or didn’t care because I did not feel better immediately. But I was very wrong! Not long after I got a phone call from my older brother, who was living in an apartment about twenty minutes away from my house. He asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner with him. Although to someone else this may have seemed random, I knew it was not. I knew that it was an answer to my prayer. It was exactly what I needed right at that moment-a kind older brother to talk to and joke around with. I knew that the Lord hadn’t forgotten me.

These are just two of many experiences I have had when God has answered my prayers. Sometimes answers come just as simple feelings of comfort or peace, and sometimes other people enter my life at just the right time. Frequently I will pull out a post-it note and jot down all the ways that God has answered my prayers in the last few weeks. I have a lot of sticky notes all over my room with answers and assurances that God cares. Some instances are large, and some are small: feeling comfort when my friend’s mom died, help on a hard Chemistry test, not getting sick when everyone around me was, flying overseas safely. The list continues to grow. As I reflect on these lists and continue to pray, I understand more and more that God really does love us and care for us. He knows our needs and hears our prayers.

Personal Response by Karen Merkley

The lights aren’t always green. The bread isn’t always fresh. Tires go flat. Bills mound. People take ill and die at every stage of life. People struggle. Others starve. Wars go on.

Grief is part of the human experience. Opposition is necessary for growth, according to the Mormon view of our mortal experience, revealed by the Lord through modern prophets. It can, however, be lifted through the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Mormons believe that the Savior not only died to pay for our sins but also to take upon Himself our sorrow, grief, and infirmities (Alma 7:11-12).

Patricia Pinegar, former President of the Primary, or children’s organization of the Mormon Church, speaks of her own encounter with grief and the Savior’s intercession:

The difficult experience of my son’s death helped me identify and rejoice in the blessings of peace, hope, and direction-blessings that all who truly accept and live the gospel of Jesus Christ may enjoy. I can bear witness to the words of Elder Richard G. Scott: “Please learn that as you wrestle with a challenge and feel sadness because of it, you can simultaneously have peace and rejoicing” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 20; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17). (“Peace, Hope and Direction,” Ensign, Nov. 1999).

The Savior Himself was a man of sorrow and grief, yet He must have had the supreme joy of knowing He was in tune with His Father and solace in that unique relationship with Him. We, too, can find that peace and assurance that we are not abandoned when death of a loved one strikes or when someone’s agency tragically colludes with the plans for our own life.

Elder Bateman, a contemporary Mormon leader, speaks as well to the healing balm that can come when we ask the Lord for that special soul salve that only He can truly provide:

Death teaches that we do not experience a fulness of joy in mortality and that everlasting joy can be achieved only with the assistance of the Master (see D&C 93:33-34). Just as the lame man at the pool of Bethesda needed someone stronger than himself to be healed (see John 5:1-9), so we are dependent on the miracles of Christ‘s atonement if our souls are to be made whole from grief, sorrow, and sin…. Through Christ, broken hearts are mended and peace replaces anxiety and sorrow.

Grief isn’t always caused by death or sickness. There are as many life burdens as there are blessings. Of the lesser-visible crosses, modern apostle, Marvin J. Ashton remarks:

One type of cross is that of violated trust by a parent, a family member, a teacher, a bishop, a member of the stake presidency, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a co-worker, or a classmate.

Another cross that isn’t always visible but that on occasion can be very heavy and worrisome is the lack of self-respect-a feeling of unwillingness to accept oneself. Can you find it in your heart to once in a while compliment yourself on your behavior? Or do you think poorly of yourself no matter what you do? Having feelings like these can be a heavy cross to bear. Such a cross may slow down your eternal progression. (“Carry Your Cross,” Liahona, Sep. 1988.)

My own crosses have taught me, more than anything, about who Jesus Christ really is and who I really am. I’ve felt deeply His knowledge of me exceeding my own, and His awareness and recognition of my every need. I’ve seen Him anticipate circumstances and prepare me; walk with me, converse with me in ways that registered completely and undeniably, and I learned that I want more than anything His closeness forever. Regardless of their source, there is solace to be found through drawing near to the Lord, who descended below all of the things we endure, so He could lift us up out of them. I testify that His power is real, that His knowledge of our struggles is intimate, and that His ability to help us is unparalleled. If you would like to know more about how to access His power, please visit www.mormon.org or chat with the missionaries.

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