Prayer: A Race of Faith.

As a runner in high school, the race was everything-the race meant everything! Time, course,and coaching. All of these segments led to the end result of the race. Sometimes that would not be enough, help was needed; it on course assistance would have been nice, but would lead to disqualification. Assistance came from individuals cheering and showing support on the sidelines. Could other things in life be compared to this? Of course! Prayer works the same way. Prayer will aid us in even our most difficult trials.

Some people ask, "how could simply praying solve my problems?" The real question should be, "how can praying help me solve my problems?" 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, ... God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. God most of the time will not simply solve our problems. He will if we allow, will give us the wisdom and strength to solve our challenges. Just think about the runner: no one can run with him on the course that he was conditioned to do, yet individuals give support from the sidelines. Our Heavenly Father is constantly at our race cheering us on.

Being a missionary requires an extra loud fan. Opposition always follows truth and light. Imagine going around for two years in the (as my mother phrased it), "rain, sleet, and shine;" knocking on doors and talking to strangers on the streets. I love the work of the Lord; though it exhausts even the best missionary at times. My experiences in both serving Nashvillians and Southern Illinoisans brought me closer to God. I realized even after a day of preaching in the pouring rain that prayer became necessity. My mission companion and I, (we go in twos, see 1 Corinthians 13:1), though sometimes completely soaked felt the warmth of the  Lord encompass us while walking down busy streets.

 You can feel God's love too! Prayer truly connects us to the Father. Some people are masters of prayer, while individuals such as I struggle to find words to address the Heavenly Father at times. The Lord wants us to call on him directly; our Father has given us this template to help us address Him.

How Do I Pray?
• Address your Heavenly
Father.
• Express the feelings of your
heart (gratitude, questions,
requests to confirm the truth of the Book of
Mormon and of what the
missionaries have taught).
• Close (“In the name of
Jesus Christ, amen”).

Knowing that I can directly speak to God the Father gives me much peace. If he could comfort a lowly nineteen year old missionary preaching on the streets of southern Illinois such as I. He can always be there for you. Remember the race: God is your number one fan! What will you do in honor of all of His love? Pray this week to know that your father is there, and he will tell you.