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We all have times when we feel like we just aren’t getting the revelation we seek. It’s easy to feel like everyone around us is getting the guidance they are looking for while we are left alone, in the dark, searching for a little heavenly ray of hope to light our path.
So what do we do if we feel like we are doing “all the right things” and still aren’t receiving answers to our prayers? Then what?
How do we feel His presence and guidance? How do we move forward in faith until He illuminates our path?
Here are seven insights that may help.
1. Look for His hand in your life.
When we become discouraged and feel like the heavens are closed to us, it is easy to feel like Heavenly Father may not care.
But He is there, helping us in ways we may not understand or see until much later. So how do we combat those feelings of despair?
One way is to actively look for even the smallest evidence of God’s love for you. Search your mind for times where He has opened doors for you or blessed you in some small way. They are there—you just have to look for them.
During a particularly discouraging time this past year, I felt like God had abandoned me. He knew I wasn’t going anywhere, testimony-wise; I was firmly ensconced in the “ninety and nine.” He didn’t need to seek me out; I was squarely in the heart of the fold. But still, I felt ignored by Him while everyone around me in the herd was blessed with answers to prayers and good things happening in their lives. I felt like I had nothing. It wasn’t until I began following the wise counsel of my mother to look for His hand in my life that I began to see it—He had blessed me abundantly in many ways; I just didn’t realize it because I had stopped looking. And the more I searched for His hand in my life, the more the Spirit testified to me of God’s love. The path wasn’t instantly clear, but I knew that I was on His path for me.
When we spend time each day asking the Holy Ghost to help us see God’s hand in our life, we are better able to feel His love. President Henry B. Eyring shared his experience when he kept a daily gratitude journal and how it helped him see God’s guidance in his life.
“Before I would write, I would ponder this question: ‘Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?’ As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.
“More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.”
2. Honestly evaluate your efforts.
To read the full article on LDS Living, CLICK HERE.
