As a child, my parents always started out our vacations with a prayer. They would pray for a safe trip, that we would have a good time, that everyone would get along—the  kinds of things every family hopes for on a vacation. As an adult, I have worked on continuing some of the good habits I was taught as a child, although I haven’t always been consistent. However, after my divorce I found myself leaning more and more on prayer, mostly because on my own I have ended up with cars that are older and less reliable and I have  limited resources. This is a blessing because I have developed better habits regarding prayer.

As children of God we are entitled to his help when we ask for it. We are more receptive of the help and more in a position to receive it when we are obedient to his commandments. As President Gordon B Hinkley said in his talk “You Are a Child of God:”

Never forget, my dear young friends, that you really are a child of God who has inherited something of His divine nature, one whom He loves and desires to help and bless. I pray that our Heavenly Father will bless you. May He smile with favor upon you. May you walk in His paths and follow His teachings. May you never speak the evil language that boys and girls are inclined to speak at school. May you ever be prayerful unto Him, praying always in the name of His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. May each of us resolve to always follow Him in faith. May life be kind to you, for you are indeed a child of God, worthy and deserving of His love and blessing.

Jesse and I took a trip down to Cedar city at the end of July last year to visit my daughters and their families.  Before we left to come back home, we said the usual prayer and included a blessing on my car to get us safely home. As I was coming down the hill just north of Fillmore I felt a sudden jerking in my car accompanied by a loud popping sound. It startled me but the car smoothed out again and continued to drive without trouble, so I kept driving. At Nephi I planned to stop for gas, but as I slowed down in the exit it suddenly became very hard to steer. I fought my way to the gas station and when I was pumping the gas I also walked around the car and checked for signs of trouble. The steering problem felt much like it had years before when I developed a flat tire, but my tires were all okay. As we started to leave the gas station, Jesse watched out the side mirror and saw that my rear passenger wheel began wobbling wildly as soon as I got up to about 20 miles per hour. We limped to another gas station and I called my dad. Having done family history on my dad’s mother I was well aware that we have many relatives from Nephi, so I asked my dad if he knew anyone there were could call for help. He has two cousins about his age and he gave me both names. I tried the first, but he was on a mission and was not available. However, the second cousin was there and willing to come right over and take a look. It turns out the axle assembly for my wheel was heavily corroded and had snapped, no longer holding the wheel straight when it spins. It needed to be replaced. He had a young mechanic whom he recommended and helped me limp my car there, then he took Jesse and me to his house to wait while the necessary repairs were completed. A further blessing occurred when I had less than $500 in my checking account, but it turned out the repairs were cheap enough that I could afford them without a visit to the bank, and I even could afford a little Caesars pizza from a place across the street for  dinner before we hit the road again.

As we headed out that day I hadn’t anticipated getting an answer to that prayer; at least, not one that I would see. Usually the answers to such prayers are most marked by any absence of marks. We never see the troubles we were protected from because we were PROTECTED. We have this wonderful gift from the most powerful being in the Universe. Prayer is a gift that applies to every part of our lives. No part need be left untouched. Heavenly Father  wants to use his power to bless the lives of his children.  As Elder Richard D Scott said in his talk, “Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer:”

Prayer is a supernal gift of our Father in Heaven to every soul. Think of it: the absolute Supreme Being, the most all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful personage, encourages you and me, as insignificant as we are, to converse with Him as our Father. Actually, because He knows how desperately we need His guidance, He commands, “Thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private.”

I realized that the axle must have broken 55 miles south of Nephi, but I was able to make it to Nephi, a town where I had family that could help, and a mechanic who would work late and a repair bill I could afford to pay. I truly felt the answers to a prayer that day, a prayer that we had made a habit of saying before each trip. I feel truly blessed that we were able to go so far in a car that should have been undrivable as soon as the axle broke, and that it was by the power of an answered prayer that we were able to get to a place where we’d have help before it became impossible to go any further.

Another part of receiving answers to prayer is recognizing and expressing appreciation for them. My opportunity began as a thank you prayer and continues as I share my testimony with others. Sharing our testimonies is another way to show our gratitude to our Heavenly Father, as he desires us to do so. It brought me great joy to share this experience with my co-worker who is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but also has great faith in Jesus Christ and in prayer. She thanked me for this affirmation of her belief in the power of prayer. As Elder Scott said:

An important aspect of prayer is gratitude. Jesus declared, “And in nothing doth man offend God … save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.” When we contemplate the incomparable gift of prayer and the limitless blessings that flow from it, honest appreciation fills our mind and heart to overflowing with thanksgiving. Should we not, therefore, continually and profoundly express to our beloved Father, as well as we are able, our unbounded gratitude for the supernal gift of prayer and for His answers that meet our needs while motivating us to grow?

As Elder D Todd Christofferson taught in an address to a group of young single adult wards , If our prayers lack the spirit, we need to start with gratitude. When we pray with gratitude for the good gifts of the Lord, for our trials, recognizing the Lord’s hand, we will have the spirit in our lives. If we live with thankfulness, he has more to give. So if our prayer feels uninspired, giving thanks will bring the spirit.

We will be blessed with more happiness and gratitude. The Lord knows each of us personally. He knows who we are, He knows what we need. No matter how long it has been since we talked to him, he knows us perfectly. And He couldn’t love you more than he already does.