The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE. 

As the Savior finished His Sermon on the Mount, He extended a “generous invitation” to His disciples: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

Speaking to BYU–Hawaii students gathered in the Cannon Activities Center on the Laie, Hawaii, campus on Sunday, Jan. 29, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the “compassionate pattern” set by the Savior in these verses that allows individuals to access information directly from heaven.

“Asking, seeking and knocking, so to speak, is one of the marvelous gifts the Lord offered us when we were sent to earth.”

Asking requires one to ask God with a sincere heart and real intent with faith in Jesus Christ (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8), Elder Soares explained. “Real intent means that one intends to follow the divine direction given. As far as seeking, it requires that one study the matter diligently,” while knocking is an act of faith produced by a desire of a believer in God.

“When we actively follow this pattern, the Lord opens the way before us, even if it is different from our own desires,” Elder Soares said.

In the spirit of this “compassionate pattern of asking, seeking and knocking set by the Savior,” students were invited months ago to submit a question to an Apostle. Elder Soares said he was “positively surprised” to receive hundreds of good, heartfelt questions.

“Reviewing them was indeed a real blessing because your questions gave me a better perspective of the issues you face daily.”

With the help of his wife, Sister Rosana Soares, Elder Soares spent the remainder of the meeting addressing some of the concerns conveyed in the students’ questions, which covered topics such as overcoming weakness and temptation, feeling God’s love even when unworthy, forgiving others, and increasing faith in Jesus Christ amid uncertainties, disappointments and doubt.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.