Last updated on August 11th, 2024 at 07:46 am
General Conference Applied
S3 E16 – Sunday, August 4, 2024 | “Pray, He Is There” by President Susan H. Porter; April 2024 General Conference
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Introduction
Doctrine: Godhead: “There are three separate personages in the Godhead: God the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost (see Articles of Faith 1:1; Acts 7:55–56). The Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bone, and the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit (see D&C 130:22–23). Although the members of the Godhead are distinct beings with distinct roles, they are one in purpose. They are perfectly united in bringing to pass Heavenly Father’s divine plan of salvation.”
Principle: Our Father in Heaven: “How can we come to know God?
“Knowing God is so important that the Savior said, ‘This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent’ (John 17:3).
“The first and greatest commandment is ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart’ (Matthew 22:37).
“The more we know God, the more we love Him and keep His commandments (see 1 John 2:3–5). By keeping His commandments we can become like Him.
“We can know God if we will:
1. “Believe that He exists and that He loves us (see Mosiah 4:9).
2. “Study the scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:14–17).
3. “Pray to Him (see James 1:5).
4. “Obey all His commandments as best we can (see John 14:21–23).
“As we do these things, we will come to know God and eventually have eternal life.”
Christlike Attribute: Charity and Love: “A man once asked Jesus, ‘Which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Matthew 22:36–39).
“Charity is ‘the pure love of Christ’ (Moroni 7:47). It includes God’s eternal love for all His children.
“The prophet Mormon taught, ‘Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love’ (Moroni 7:48). As you pray to have charity fill your heart, you will taste of God’s love. Your love for people will increase, and you will come to feel a sincere concern for their eternal happiness. You will see them as children of God with the potential of becoming like Him, and you will labor in their behalf.”
Bio
- “President Susan H. Porter was sustained as Primary General President for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 2, 2022. At the time of her call, she was serving as First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency.
“President Porter has served on the Relief Society General Advisory Council and as a stake Relief Society presidency counselor, ward Relief Society and Young Women president, Gospel Doctrine teacher, and Primary music leader.
“President Porter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Brigham Young University. She has worked as a lab assistant for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and as a math teacher. She also volunteered in her children’s schools and with various community organizations.
“Susan Elizabeth Holland was born July 31, 1955, in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and grew up in New York. On February 2, 1977, she married Bruce D. Porter, who later served as a General Authority Seventy. He passed away in 2016. They are the parents of four children.”
- “Lessons at the Well“, April 2022 General Conference, Susan H. Porter: “Five years ago my husband, Bruce, became seriously ill when we were serving with the consecrated Saints in the Europe East Area. We returned home, and he passed away only a few weeks later. My life changed overnight. I was grieving and felt weak and vulnerable. I pled with the Lord to direct my path: ‘What would Thou have me do?’
“A few weeks later, I was going through my mail when a small picture in a catalog caught my eye. As I looked closer, I realized it was an artist’s rendition of the Samaritan woman with Jesus at the well. At that moment the Spirit spoke clearly to me: ‘That is what you are supposed to do.’ A loving Heavenly Father was inviting me to come to the Savior and learn.” - This was President Porter’s third general conference address (but her first as the Primary General President):
- “God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul” – October 2021 General Conference
- “Lessons at the Well” – April 2022 General Conference
Don’t Ask Heavenly Father Why, Ask Him What
- “Sometimes you may want to know why something hard is happening in your life or why you didn’t receive a blessing you prayed for. Often the best question to ask Heavenly Father is not why but what.
“Do you remember when Nephi and his family were hungry while they were traveling in the wilderness? When Nephi and his brothers went to hunt for food, Nephi broke his bow. But he didn’t ask why.
“Nephi made a new bow and asked his father, Lehi, where he could go to get food. Lehi prayed, and the Lord showed them where Nephi could go. Heavenly Father will guide you when you ask Him what you can do and what you can learn.” -President Porter - Questions:
- 1. Do what questions inspire more faith than why questions?
- 2. Do you have any experience with this principle (i.e., asking what questions rather than why questions)?
- 3. Can you think of any real life stories – perhaps shared in general conference, a movie, or a non-scriptural book – where someone asked what instead of why?
- 4. When we pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him what questions, do we prioritize writing down the counsel we receive from Him in our journal?
- 5. Why is asking why questions easier than asking what questions?
- 6. Are there other scriptural examples, like Nephi’s example, of someone who asked what instead of why?
- 7. What has the Savior taught us about why questions compared to what questions?
- 8. How might “know[ing] Heavenly Father is there” inspire me to ask what questions instead of why questions?
- 9. When was the last time you asked why when you received counsel from a Church leader? How might you instead have asked ‘what can I do’ and ‘what can I learn’?
- “Hope of Israel“, President Russell M. Nelson, Worldwide Youth Devotional • June 3, 2018: “Let me tell you about an experience I had in 1979. I was then serving as the General President of the Sunday School. I was invited to attend a meeting of Church leaders at which the President of the Church, President Spencer W. Kimball, spoke. He charged us to pray that the doors of nations would be opened so that the gospel of Jesus Christ could be brought to all people on earth. He specifically mentioned China and asked that we pray for the people of China. He also said, ‘We should be of service to the Chinese people. We should learn their language. We should pray for them and help them.’
“I returned home to my wife, Dantzel (who passed away more than 13 years ago), and said to her, ‘President Kimball asked us in that meeting to learn Chinese! And I did not hear him say, ‘Everyone except Brother Nelson!’ So, would you be willing to study Mandarin Chinese with me?’ Of course, she agreed and we were tutored in Mandarin.
“Six weeks after President Kimball’s charge, I was attending the annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. It was being held in Boston, Massachusetts. That morning, I had prayed in my hotel room for the people of China, just as President Kimball had requested. I went to the first meeting of the day and sat where I always sat at these professional meetings—at the front of the room. As the meeting proceeded, however, I became increasingly uncomfortable in my chair. As the lights were turned down for a slide presentation, I slipped out of my chair and walked quietly to the back of the room—a place where I would usually never sit. When the lights came up again, I found myself sitting by a Chinese doctor. He introduced himself as Professor Wu Ying-Kai from Beijing, China!
“After a pleasant conversation with him, I extended an invitation for him to visit Salt Lake City and give a lecture at the University of Utah Medical School. He gladly accepted and did exceptionally well. Then he returned to China.
“Not long thereafter, he invited me to be a visiting professor of surgery at Shandong Medical University in Jinan, China. That led to subsequent invitations for me to serve as a visiting professor at two more universities in China.
“These wonderful professional experiences—prior to my call to the Twelve—climaxed when I was asked by Chinese surgeons to perform an open-heart operation to save the life of their most celebrated opera star. That I did, and gratefully that operation was a success. It was, incidentally, the last one of my professional life.
“For almost 40 years now, I have been praying for the people of China. I rejoice in my association with medical colleagues and other dear friends in China. What a joy it is for me now to be officially designated as an ‘old friend of China.’
“It is my testimony that when we follow through with whatever the prophet of God asks us to do, the way will be opened and lives will be changed.” - Action: “Call to the Holy Apostleship“, Elder Russell M. Nelson, April 1984 General Conference: “I know the words of Nephi are true: ‘I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.’ (1 Nephi 3:7) I have implicit faith in the Lord and in His prophets. I have learned not to put question marks but to use exclamation points when calls are issued through inspired channels of priesthood government.”
- “Hope of Israel“, President Russell M. Nelson, Worldwide Youth Devotional • June 3, 2018: “Let me tell you about an experience I had in 1979. I was then serving as the General President of the Sunday School. I was invited to attend a meeting of Church leaders at which the President of the Church, President Spencer W. Kimball, spoke. He charged us to pray that the doors of nations would be opened so that the gospel of Jesus Christ could be brought to all people on earth. He specifically mentioned China and asked that we pray for the people of China. He also said, ‘We should be of service to the Chinese people. We should learn their language. We should pray for them and help them.’
- 10. What will you do with this counsel that President Porter has provided?
Every Child Praying Every Day
- “Imagine what would happen if all the children in Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia prayed every day. The whole world would be blessed with more of God’s love!” -President Porter
- Questions:
- 1. Does Heavenly Father bless everyone, or only those who pray?
- 2. Does praying for others help us love them more?
- 3. What is the best way to teach a child to pray?
- 4. Can children learn to pray without seeing their parents pray?
- 5. Are there any scriptural examples of children praying?
- 6. Is developing a regular practice of personal prayer a healthy practice in a child’s life?
- 7. How might “more of God’s love” bless “the whole world”?
- 8. When our children pray, are we inviting them to “pray to know Heavenly Father is there,” to “pray to grow to become like Him”, and “to pray to show His love to others”?
- 9. What could sharing President Porter’s experience of praying for her father as a child and throughout her life teach your child(ren) about prayer?
- “For my whole life I prayed that my father would become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even as a young girl, I knew how many blessings he could receive. Our family could receive the blessings of being sealed for eternity. My family, friends, and I prayed often for him, but he didn’t join the Church. Heavenly Father does not force anyone to make a choice. He can send us answers to our prayers in other ways.
“When I was old enough, I received my patriarchal blessing. In the blessing, the patriarch told me the best thing I could do to help my family be together in heaven was to be an example of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s what I could do!
“My father lived to be 86. Five days after he died, I received a sacred feeling of joy. Heavenly Father let me know through His Spirit that my father wanted to receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ! I will never forget the day I knelt around the altar in the temple with my sister and brothers to be sealed to my parents. I had started praying for this blessing when I was in Primary, and I received it when I was a grandmother.” - “Motions of a Hidden Fire“, President Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2024 General Conference: “I testify that God hears every prayer we offer and responds to each of them according to the path He has outlined for our perfection. I recognize that at roughly the same time so many were praying for the restoration of my health, an equal number—including me—were praying for the restoration of my wife’s health. I testify that both of those prayers were heard and answered by a divinely compassionate Heavenly Father, even if the prayers for Pat were not answered the way I asked. It is for reasons known only to God why prayers are answered differently than we hope—but I promise you they are heard and they are answered according to His unfailing love and cosmic timetable.”
- Action: Lead a family home evening discussion about how knowing Heavenly Father is there, which President Porter invites us to do in this address, can help us better trust in His timing.
- “For my whole life I prayed that my father would become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even as a young girl, I knew how many blessings he could receive. Our family could receive the blessings of being sealed for eternity. My family, friends, and I prayed often for him, but he didn’t join the Church. Heavenly Father does not force anyone to make a choice. He can send us answers to our prayers in other ways.
- 10. Can we regularly model healthy conversations with our children so that they feel more comfortable speaking with Heavenly Father in prayer?
What is the speaker inviting me to do, and how might I consider taking action?
Invitations
1: “I invite you to pray to know Heavenly Father is there.”
- “How can you know that Heavenly Father is really there, even when you can’t see Him?
“President Russell M. Nelson has invited you to ‘pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. … And then listen!’ Listen to what you feel in your heart and to thoughts that come to your mind. …
“When you know that Heavenly Father is real and that He loves you, you can live with courage and hope!” -President Porter - Questions:
- 1. As I “pray to know Heavenly Father is there”, what are ways in which He might answer my humble plea?
- 2. Is it really that important to know that Heavenly Father is there?
- Principle: Our Father in Heaven: “Knowing God is so important that the Savior said, ‘This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent’ (John 17:3).”
- Action: Develop a plan for learning everything there is to know about our Heavenly Father.
- 3. What are scriptural examples of individuals who prayed to know Heavenly Father is there?
- Enos (Enos 1:3-6): “[3] Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. [4] And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. [5] And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. [6] And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.”
- King Lamoni’s father (Alma 22:15-18): “[15] And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy. [16] But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest. [17] And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying: [18] O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.”
- Action: Note how both of these men came to know God as they committed to repenting and changing. Analyze your life, find something to change, and get started on that this week.
- 4. Can “know[ing] Heavenly Father is there” inspire me to more obediently keep the commandments?
- 5. In your life, when have you prayed to know Heavenly Father is there? What happened?
- 6. Do the testimonies of others who have seen Heavenly Father – for example, the Prophet Joseph Smith – strengthen your testimony?
- 7. What have you learned about Heavenly Father recently that has bolstered your confidence that He “is really there”?
- 8. Does President Nelson’s assertion that our most important identifier is “child of God” signify to you the importance of know that Heavenly Father “is really there”?
- 9. How often should we pray “to know Heavenly Father is there”? Every day? Whenever the cares of the world begin to overwhelm us? As often as we feel our testimony challenged?
- 10. How can the example – whether good or bad – of our earthly father shape our understanding of, and trust in, our Heavenly Father?
- “Trust in the Lord“, Elder Paul B. Pieper, April 2024 General Conference: “Several years ago, two friends of mine, Leonid and Valentina, expressed interest in becoming members of the Church. As Leonid began to learn the gospel, he found it difficult to pray. Earlier in his life, Leonid had suffered from manipulation and control by superiors and had developed a distrust of authority. These experiences affected his ability to open his heart and express personal feelings to Heavenly Father. With time and study, Leonid gained a better understanding of God’s character and experienced feeling God’s love. Eventually, prayer became a natural way for him to express thanks and the love he was feeling for God. His increasing trust in God eventually led him and Valentina to enter into sacred covenants to strengthen their relationship with God and each other.
“If prior loss of trust is keeping you from trusting God, please follow Leonid’s example. Patiently continue to learn more about Heavenly Father, His character, His attributes, and His purposes. Look for and record experiences feeling His love and power in your life. Our living prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has taught that the more we learn about God, the easier it will be for us to trust Him.” - Action: Be the kind of father (parent) that my children can trust. If they are comfortable speaking with me and asking me questions, then they can develop the same kind of relationship with their Heavenly Father.
- “Trust in the Lord“, Elder Paul B. Pieper, April 2024 General Conference: “Several years ago, two friends of mine, Leonid and Valentina, expressed interest in becoming members of the Church. As Leonid began to learn the gospel, he found it difficult to pray. Earlier in his life, Leonid had suffered from manipulation and control by superiors and had developed a distrust of authority. These experiences affected his ability to open his heart and express personal feelings to Heavenly Father. With time and study, Leonid gained a better understanding of God’s character and experienced feeling God’s love. Eventually, prayer became a natural way for him to express thanks and the love he was feeling for God. His increasing trust in God eventually led him and Valentina to enter into sacred covenants to strengthen their relationship with God and each other.
2: “I invite you to pray to grow to become like [Heavenly Father].”
- To inherit God’s life (eternal life), we have to become like Him.
- Questions:
- 1. What is Heavenly Father like? Don’t we know much more about what Jesus Christ is like rather than what Heavenly Father is like?
- “Heavenly Father wants to help you grow! He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way to live. Jesus suffered, died, and was resurrected so we can be forgiven of our sins and grow to become more like Him.
“Do you want to grow in patience or in honesty? Do you want to grow in a skill? Maybe you are shy and want to grow in courage. ‘Pray, he is there’! Through His Spirit, your heart can change, and you can receive strength.” -President Porter - Action: “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives“, President Russell M. Nelson, April 2017 General Conference: “The more we know about the Savior’s ministry and mission—the more we understand His doctrine and what He did for us—the more we know that He can provide the power that we need for our lives.
“Earlier this year, I asked the young adults of the Church to consecrate a portion of their time each week to study everything Jesus said and did as recorded in the standard works. I invited them to let the scriptural citations about Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide become their personal core curriculum.
“I gave that challenge because I had already accepted it myself. I read and underlined every verse cited about Jesus Christ, as listed under the main heading and the 57 subtitles in the Topical Guide. When I finished that exciting exercise, my wife asked me what impact it had on me. I told her, ‘I am a different man!'”
- “Heavenly Father wants to help you grow! He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way to live. Jesus suffered, died, and was resurrected so we can be forgiven of our sins and grow to become more like Him.
- 2. Does God love me only if I’m “grow[ing] to become like Him”?
- 3. What does “grow[ing] to become like [Heavenly Father]” look like?
- “The Abundant Life“, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2006 General Conference: “Harry de Leyer was late to the auction on that snowy day in 1956, and all of the good horses had already been sold. The few that remained were old and spent and had been bought by a company that would salvage them.
“Harry, the riding master at a girls’ school in New York, was about to leave when one of these horses—an uncared-for, gray gelding with ugly-looking wounds on its legs—caught his eye. The animal still bore the marks that had been made by a heavy work harness, evidence to the hard life he had led. But something about him captured Harry’s attention, so he offered $80 for him.
“It was snowing when Harry’s children saw the horse for the first time, and because of the coat of snow on the horse’s back, the children named him ‘Snowman.’
“Harry took good care of the horse, which turned out to be a gentle and reliable friend—a horse the girls liked to ride because he was steady and didn’t startle like some of the others. In fact, Snowman made such rapid improvement that a neighbor purchased him for twice what Harry had originally paid.
“But Snowman kept disappearing from the neighbor’s pasture—sometimes ending up in adjoining potato fields, other times back at Harry’s. It appeared that the horse must have jumped over the fences between the properties, but that seemed impossible—Harry had never seen Snowman jump over anything much higher than a fallen log.
“But eventually, the neighbor’s patience came to an end, and he insisted Harry take back the horse.
“For years, Harry’s great dream had been to produce a champion jumping horse. He’d had moderate success in the past, but in order to compete at the highest levels, he knew he would have to buy a pedigreed horse that had been specifically bred to jump. And that kind of pedigree would cost far more than he could afford.
“Snowman was already getting old—he was eight when Harry had purchased him—and he had been badly treated. But, apparently, Snowman wanted to jump, so Harry decided to see what the horse could do.
“What Harry saw made him think that maybe his horse had a chance to compete.
“In 1958, Harry entered Snowman in his first competition. Snowman stood among the beautifully bred, champion horses, looking very much out of place. Other horse breeders called Snowman a ‘flea-bitten gray.’
“But a wonderful, unbelievable thing happened that day.
“Snowman won!
“Harry continued to enter Snowman in other competitions, and Snowman continued to win.
“Audiences cheered every time Snowman won an event. He became a symbol of how extraordinary an ordinary horse could be. He appeared on television. Stories and books were written about him.
“As Snowman continued to win, one buyer offered $100,000 for the old plow horse, but Harry would not sell. In 1958 and 1959, Snowman was named ‘Horse of the Year.’ Eventually, the gray gelding—who had once been marked for sale to a low bidder—was inducted into the show jumping Hall of Fame.
“For many, Snowman was much more than a horse. He became an example of the hidden, untapped potential that lies within each of us.” (Note that we may not win awards as we grow to become like Heavenly Father – but Heavenly Father can make more of us than we can on our own). - “Jesus Christ – Gifts and Expectations“, President Ezra Taft Benson, December 1988 Ensign: “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life.”
- Action: Establish a regular practice of writing in your journal about how you are “grow[ing] to become like [Heavenly Father]”.
- “The Abundant Life“, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2006 General Conference: “Harry de Leyer was late to the auction on that snowy day in 1956, and all of the good horses had already been sold. The few that remained were old and spent and had been bought by a company that would salvage them.
- 4. President Porter says that “grow[ing] to become like [Heavenly Father]” is a gift we can pray for. Do you see this as a gift?
- 5. How do you think Heavenly Father might answer your prayer to help you “grow to become like Him”?
- 6. Which attributes do you need to develop in your life to “grow to become like [Heavenly Father]”?
- 7. How can you tell if you’re “grow[ing] to become like [Heavenly Father]”?
- 8. Who is someone you know who you believe is like Heavenly Father? How might you learn from them?
- 9. What has President Nelson done in his life “to grow to become like [Heavenly Father]”?
- 10. Do I really want “to grow to become like [Heavenly Father]”? What if it’s a painful, soul-stretching process?
- 1. What is Heavenly Father like? Don’t we know much more about what Jesus Christ is like rather than what Heavenly Father is like?
3: “I invite you to pray to show [Heavenly Father’s] love to others.”
- Questions:
- 1. President Porter says that “show[ing] [Heavenly Father’s] love to others” is a gift we can pray for. Do you see this as a gift?
- 2. In your life, when have you been the recipient of someone “show[ing] [Heavenly Father’s] love” to you?
- 3. Does “show[ing] [Heavenly Father’s] love to others” also involve inviting those individuals to change and to be better?
- 4. Why is it important “to show [Heavenly Father’s] love to others”?
- “Perhaps you are praying for blessings for your family and others you love. Don’t give up! Heavenly Father will show you what you can do.
“Share with Heavenly Father what is in your heart. As you sincerely ask for His help, you will receive His Spirit to guide you. Praying every day will fill you with love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This will help you want to follow Them your whole life!” -President Porter - “Give Me a Light That I May Tread Safely into the Unknown“, Elder Patrick Kearon, July 2024 Liahona: “In the Lord’s eyes, greatness is measured not by our personal achievements but by the charity with which we treat His children.”
- Action: “Teaching Our Children to Pray“, Stephen R. and Sandra Covey, January 1976 Ensign: “Often we go around the prayer circle and ask each family member if he has any special needs or blessings he would like to have remembered in the prayer.
“Cynthia may ask for a clear, alert mind in preparing for an exam in school; Maria might request that she be blessed to play well at a piano recital that evening; Stephen may need help in passing off a merit badge for Scouting; Michael Sean and David might ask that they give their best efforts in their Little League baseball game that day; Catherine could ask us to pray for our dog’s injured leg; and Colleen may want us to remember her chicken pox. Sandra might need guidance in preparing her Relief Society lesson and Stephen, inspiration in his Church assignment. This process helps us to be aware of everyone’s needs and to pray specifically.” (Do this as an extended family as well, not just with your children)
- “Perhaps you are praying for blessings for your family and others you love. Don’t give up! Heavenly Father will show you what you can do.
- 5. Is showing someone you love them better than telling someone that you love them?
- 6. What are some ways in which we can “show [Heavenly Father’s] love to others”?
- “You can pray for help to show Heavenly Father’s love to others. Through His Spirit, Heavenly Father will help you notice someone who is sad so you can comfort them. He can help you show His love by forgiving someone. He can give you courage to serve someone and share with them that they are a child of God. You can help others come to know and love Jesus and Heavenly Father as you do.” -President Porter
- “God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul“, Sister Susan H. Porter, October 2021 General Conference: “Our son related: ‘When I was 11, my friends and I decided to hide from our teacher and skip the first half of our Primary class. When we finally arrived, to our surprise, the teacher greeted us warmly. He then offered a heartfelt prayer during which he expressed sincere gratitude to the Lord that we had decided to come to class that day of our own free will. I cannot remember what the lesson was about or even our teacher’s name, but now, some 30 years later, I am still touched by the pure love he showed me that day.’
“Five years ago, I observed an example of divine love while attending Primary in Russia. I saw a faithful sister kneel in front of two children and testify to them that even if they were the only ones living on earth, Jesus would have suffered and died just for them.” - Action: “Humility in Covenant Leadership“, Sister Rebecca L. Craven, June 18, 2024, BYU-Idaho Devotional: “A friend recently shared this experience: During a church meeting he attended, his phone kept lighting up, and he quickly realized that there was a problem at the business he owned. He read and responded to a few texts and resolved the issue. After the meeting, the leader in charge verbally tore this man to pieces for not paying attention. Can you imagine how he felt? What could have been done differently? Would asking an inspired question have helped to discern the situation? What question would you have asked?
“One response may have been, ‘I noticed you were anxious during the meeting. How can I help?’ A question that tends to work in many situations is, ‘Will you tell me more?'”
- 7. What does Heavenly Father’s love look like?
- 8. How often do we ask others what they are seeking for in life, and then pray for those blessings for them?
- 9. Do you have to believe that Heavenly Father loves you before you can “show [Heavenly Father’s] love to others”?
- 10. How does this invitation from President Russell M. Nelson inspire you “to show [Heavenly Father’s] love to others”: “I invite you to consider carefully the following three statements: 1) The gathering of Israel is evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere. 2) The gospel of Abraham is further evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere. He invites all to come unto Him—’black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God.’ 3) The sealing power is supernal evidence of how much God loves all of His children everywhere and wants each of them to choose to return home to Him.” (“Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys“, April 2024 General Conference)
Take Action
How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?
Conclusion
As we conclude this episode, I have some important information. Show notes for this and all other episodes can be found on my website, mitchellryanpeterson.com. On my website, you will also find my weekly What? Eye. Read. 💡 newsletter.
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Tags
God the Father | Jesus Christ | Love | Prayer | Revelation | Spiritual Growth
Additional Content
Previous Podcast Episode (“God’s Intent Is to Bring You Home” by Elder Patrick Kearon)
Next Podcast Episode (“Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ” by Sister J. Anette Dennis)