July 2004 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

DETAIL FROM CHRIST AND THE RICH YOUNG RULER, BY HEINRICH HOFMANN; PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTINA SMITH
Prayerfully select and read
from this message the scriptures
and teachings that meet
the needs of the sisters you visit. Share
your experiences and testimony.
Invite those you teach to do the same.
In What Ways Have You Felt the
Love of the Lord through Prayer?
D&C 19:38: “Pray always, and
I will pour out my Spirit upon you,
and great shall be your blessing.”
Kathleen H. Hughes, first counselor
in the Relief Society general
presidency: “One of the most sublime
experiences is to feel in prayer the
warmth of the Spirit—a clear manifestation
to us that Heavenly Father
hears us and loves us. Equally sweet
is the recognition as we go about the
activities of our lives that a prayer has
been answered, that we have experienced
a miracle in our lives. Once
again we have received a manifestation
of His love for us.”
President Spencer W. Kimball
(1895–1985): “Learning the language
of prayer is a joyous, lifetime experience.
Sometimes ideas flood our
mind as we listen after our prayers.
Sometimes feelings press upon us. A
spirit of calmness assures us that all
will be well. But always, if we have
been honest and earnest, we will
experience a good feeling—a feeling
VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE
Feeling the Love of the Lord
through Prayer
of warmth for our Father
in Heaven and a sense
of his love for us. I
have felt sorrow
because some of
us have not learned
the meaning of that
calm, spiritual warmth,
for it is a witness to us that
our prayers have been heard. And
since our Father in Heaven loves us
with more love than we have even for
ourselves, it means that we can trust
in his goodness, we can trust in him;
it means that if we continue praying
and living as we should, our Father’s
hand will guide and bless us” (“Pray
Always,” Tambuli, Mar. 1982, 5; see
Ensign, Oct. 1981, 5).
How Can You Improve Your Prayers
to Better Feel the Love of the Lord?
Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles: “If you . . .
begin to do what you covenanted
with God to do, I can promise you
that you will feel more love for God
and more of His love for you. And
with that, your prayers will come from
the heart, full of thanks and of pleading.
You will feel a greater dependence
on God. . . . You will pray always.
And you will not forget Him. . . . He
loves us. He hears our prayers, and
He answers with what is best for us.
As we come to
know Him through His words
and in His service, we will love Him
more” (“Prayer,” Liahona, Jan. 2002,
19; Ensign, Nov. 2001, 17).
Moroni 7:48: “Pray unto the Father
with all the energy of heart, that ye
may be filled with this love, which he
hath bestowed upon all who are true
followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Elder Robert D. Hales of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“There is nothing that we are enduring
that Jesus does not understand, and
He waits for us to go to our Heavenly
Father in prayer. I testify that if we will
be obedient and if we are diligent, our
prayers will be answered, our problems
will diminish, our fears will dissipate,
light will come upon us, the
darkness of despair will be dispersed,
and we will be close to the Lord and
feel of His love” (“Behold, We Count
Them Happy Which Endure,” Ensign,
May 1998, 77). ■
ENSIGN JULY 2004 61