Oh, thank you, Jesus!!!

This morning feels like a bit of a triple hit—Fast Sunday, the switch to daylight savings time, and this on the heels of my first night serving the late shift at the temple, leaving at 10:30. I’m already feeling it.

Still, I tried to focus on one of the greatest events in the history of the world: the Savior instituting the sacrament.

A question came to mind: Am I truly “filled” when I partake of the sacrament?

I feel the need for the sacrament every week. Somehow it resets me. I’m not someone who goes out looking to do bad things, but sometimes I wonder if I forget why I try to do good things. It isn’t for me—it’s for my Savior. It’s a small expression of gratitude for the sacrifice He made so that I could have a second chance.

I believe in Him. I have been baptized in His name (v.5). I remember His sacrifice, but do I always grasp how great that sacrifice really was? Do I always remember Him? On tired Sunday mornings like this one, I remember Him specifically. My sacrifice is nothing in comparison to His.

The sacrament prayer gives us a simple test: Do I always have His Spirit to be with me?
The honest answer is that sometimes—probably more often than I’d like—I fall short.

Verse 10 asks a simple but powerful question: Am I willing?
Yes. Always.

The commandment is to always remember Him. If we truly do that, disputations fade. Watching someone in the family struggle with this is heartbreaking. Where does the loss of respect for parents begin? Where does love for others disappear? How does the Savior become nothing more than a name?

Then the chapter turns to prayer.

Verse 20 reminds us that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name—if it is right, and we believe—will be given. My first sincere pleading prayer came later in my life after I had created a miserable existance. I don’t know where that faith came from at the time, but I knew the Lord heard my parents’ prayers. My life is a miracle because of them.

Prayer was always part of my parents’ home (v.21), and it was part of ours as well. It didn’t look exactly the same—our lives weren’t as regimented as a farmer’s life—but prayer was never forgotten.

Do I believe in prayer?
You better believe it.

Some of my pleadings have lasted for decades. Most of them involve my children and grandchildren. I searched for the quote on the timing of prayers. President Oaks said: 

“Some prayers are answered immediately.
Some are answered later.
And some are not answered until heaven.”

It’s a comforting reminder that unanswered prayers are not ignored prayers—they may simply be waiting on the Lord’s timetable.

A companion thought from Neal A. Maxwell fits beautifully with it:

“Faith also includes trust in God’s timing.” God’s answers come “line upon line, in His own time and way.”

Together those two thoughts carry a powerful message:

·       God hears every prayer.

·       God answers every prayer.

·       But God also chooses the timing of those answers.

For parents and grandparents praying for children, that perspective can bring a lot of peace.

Verse 23 teaches us to pray for those who have not yet received a witness of the gospel. Sometimes we keep people at arm’s length because we fear their beliefs might influence us or our families. But the Lord knows His children and what they need to become disciples. That requires discernment and listening to His promptings.

Jesus Christ is the Light.
He is the light we hold up.

Living righteously and showing love for Him will do far more for our families than any barrier we try to build against the world.

So, I ask myself: How am I doing?

I try.

Age and its limitations sometimes frustrate me. I can’t move as quickly as I once did, and I wish I had sought the Savior more when I was younger. Still, I probably spend more time with Him now than I ever have before.

One last thought stood out as I followed the footnotes. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father—pleading our cause and making intercession for us (see **1 John 2:1; **2 Nephi 2:9; **Moroni 7:27–28).

Then comes the promise in Doctrine and Covenants 29:5:

Not only does He plead our cause—
He wants to give us His kingdom.

Oh, thank you, Jesus.

I speak for all of us: Hang in there.
Keep remembering Him.
Keep trying to do good.