I’m in my second month as a freshman here at Brigham Young University and I couldn’t be more grateful for my required Book of Mormon class. The fact that twice a week I get to learn more about scriptures in an academic setting always amazes me! Both our class lectures and my out-of-class readings help me keep my priorities straight and remind me of my Heavenly Father’s love. This last week I was especially touched by a passage spoken by the ancient American prophet Nephi as he was nearing the end of his life. This is found in 2 Nephi 32:9.
“But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.”
The Lord wants us to come to Him so He can help us make decisions.
Nephi is reminding those who read his words of a powerful principle. If we are trying to do something “unto the Lord” it is imperative that we pray to Heavenly Father about it. This way He will be able to make our experience something that will enable us to obtain our goal of eternal life. Perhaps the strongest word employed by the prophet Nephi is anything. There should not be anything that we are doing which is not “unto the Lord,” and thus if we take the proper steps there should not be anything in our lives which is not being consecrated by the Lord for our eternal welfare. School, work, relationships, service—these are all facets of our lives where we can obtain incredible support from our Heavenly Father.
A month ago I began volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club here in Provo. Each Tuesday I spend around two hours there helping underprivileged children ages 5 to 7. We work on homework, have snack time, play outside, and do artwork. Walking the mile to the building on my first week as a volunteer I said a silent prayer to my Heavenly Father asking that I might be able to positively affect the lives of the children I was about to meet. As I was there, an image came into my mind of the beautiful painting by Carl Bloch of the Savior at the waters of Bethesda where He ministered one by one to those who were sick and afflicted. On a much smaller scale I was also ministering one by one, as I helped children who were lonely, poor, or sad. Afterward, as I walked back to my apartment I realized that this service had left me feeling closer to my Heavenly Father more than almost anything else I have done since coming to Brigham Young University. Since that time I have tried even harder to make this service a matter of prayer with Heavenly Father, and I have felt him truly consecrate my performance; my weekly visit at the Boys & Girls Club has become necessary for the welfare of my soul.
I’m thankful for the understanding I have of my Heavenly Father, an understanding that comes through my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through reading scriptures like the one mentioned above I have realized that the Savior actually cares about every aspect of my life and if I will but pray to Him I can receive support in all of my endeavors.
This article was written by Katie S., a student and Brigham Young University and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.