The Helping Hand

 

While quickly walking to my car during a cloudburst of rain, I heard a little boy screaming his eyes out calling for his mother.  Before the rain had started to come down, he began walking to the family vehicle without her help and now was lost in the downpour.  I could see his mother standing by the family car with four other little children. She was yelling at him to come to her while frantically trying to hang onto her young family to keep them from running to their lost brother. The force of the rain reached a level of intensity that I became concerned that the lad would continue to wander and become further lost in the heavy rain.  I was about to get out my automobile and guide the boy to his mother, but the boy finally heard the calls of his mother and he knew which direction he needed to go, and he eagerly ran to her open arms.

It was uplifting for me to watch the love that the mother had for her child.  I sat back in the safety my dry car seat and thought of the times that I had felt alone, lost, and cried out in my prayers that someone would rescue me.  During those lonely times, I was grateful for any helping hand as I struggled to understand how to master a challenge. The greatest helping hand that I found came after I had turned my frustrated mind to focus on the scriptures and then prayed about the inspiration I had felt.

Some of the Book of Mormon prophets have been there to help me.  Nephi’s great wisdom after his father, Lehi, their priesthood leader, had asked his four sons to return to Jerusalem for the record of their people that was the genealogy of their ancestors.  Nephi’s older brothers didn’t want to do this assignment but Nephi, however, said

"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.� (1 Ne. 3:7). 

During times of doubt and confusion, I have fasted and prayed to know which direction I should go or what I should do.  It was during the harder times when I had felt lost and unsure of the direction I should take that, if I turned to God, I could feel His hand, guiding me in the direction that He wanted me to go.  If that help came through an answer to prayer, pondering the scriptures, or through obedience to the advice and counsel of my priesthood leaders as Nephi did to his father, that direction has been the right way. 

After making what I knew to be the right choice, occasionally difficult times came when I didn’t know if I could continue doing what I knew God wanted me to do, but God has always given me the strength to endure my trials and help to continue in the right direction.  I bear testimony that there is spiritual safety that comes when we listen for God’s voice found in the scriptures, through our humble fasting and prayers and as we listen for His voice of guidance through the inspired words of our chosen priesthood leaders.

Tags: Adversity Trials Obedience Scriptures Prayer Faith RuntoTomorrow

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