A Feeling To Pray

Hello Friends and Family!                     

This week has been incredible. I have felt so extremely blessed to be serving here in Augusta, Georgia, and to feel of the joy and love that these individuals have towards their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I don't metion as often as I should, but I really do admire the sincere faith that many of these individuals do have towards their belief in Jesus, and their devotions to Him. I feel humbled, as always, to be a representative for Christ's True and Living Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My hope is that we can, each of us, choose just one way this week to more fully follow Him towards our eventual path of Exaltation with our Loving Heavenly Father.

There was one moment in particular, this past week, that really helped to strengthen my Faith in Jesus Christ. Elder Glenn and I were driving down the road, when the Spirit compelled both of us at the same time to pull over, and to pray and ask for further direction from Heavenly Father about where we needed to be. We pulled into a little convenience store parking lot, and right as we parked the car, we saw a younger lady walk out of the doors. We both sat there, looked at her, and looked at each other, and said, "We need to talk with her!" She was walking fast, so we rolled down the window of our car. She walked towards us, and we said, "Hi! We are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we've been called by a Prophet of God on the Earth to declare a very special message of peace and joy to you. Have you been praying for peace lately?" As we said this, the lady just broke down into tears. There was a long silence, and then she said, "Will you guys get out and pray with me? I want to hear your message." As we got out of the car, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming amount of Peace of the Spirit fill me. I knew that Heavenly Father had placed us there for her, because Heavenly Father Loves her just as much as anybody else.  She began to tell us all of the hard struggles she has been going through lately, and then she said, "Can we pray again? It just felt so good. It felt right."  How incredible is that? The Spirit was so strong there in that conversation, and it really humbled me to think about how much Heavenly Father did truly Love this woman. In fact, He loved her so much, that He sent His Son to die for her. And everyone else. 

To best understand why Jesus Christ died for us, we must understand two things: Faith, and the Family. 

This week, I have been thinking a lot about the principle of Faith. I know that Faith in Jesus Christ and following His teachings give us a firm hope, and this hope becomes a solid anchor to our souls. We can become steadfast and immovable. We can have lasting inner peace; we can enter into the rest of the Lord, only if we turn away from light and truth will a hollow feeling of emptiness occupy the innermost chambers of our souls.  Let us focus on those things that will sustain a lasting peace of mind and heart. Then our confidence will “wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45). The promise to enter into the rest of the Lord, to receive the gift of peace, is far from a temporary, worldly satisfaction. It is indeed a heavenly gift: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). He has the power to heal and strengthen the soul. He is Jesus Christ. 

I have not only been thinking about Faith, and Prayer, but I have also been pondering the Family Unit. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a theology of the family that is based on the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. The Creation of the earth provided a place where families could live. God created a man and a woman who were the two essential halves of a family. It was part of Heavenly Father’s plan that Adam and Eve be sealed and form an eternal family. The Fall provided a way for the family to grow.  Adam and Eve were family leaders who chose to have a mortal experience. The Fall made it possible for them to have sons and daughters. The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally. It allows for families to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness, also called the plan of salvation, was a plan created for families. When we speak of qualifying for the blessings of eternal life, we mean qualifying for the blessings of eternal families. This was Christ’s doctrine, and it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 2:1–3: “Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.” This scripture is talking about temple blessings—ordinances and covenants without which “the whole earth [is] utterly wasted.” “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was written to reinforce that the family is central to the Creator’s plan. Without the family, there is no plan; there is no reason for mortal life.

I hope that we can all continue to develop a deeper abiding Faith in Jesus Christ, while growing closer to our Families, on our journey towards the great Celestial Kingdom. In Mosiah 27:31 we read, "Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye." I know that through Faith, and Family, we can all more fully prepare for that great Judgement Day.

Until next week,

Elder Robb