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Sister Sara Lee Gibb, Associate Dean of
Health and Human Performance at Brigham Young University in
Provo, taught the importance of prayer during her devotional
address to Brigham Young University-Idaho students on Tuesday,
November 1.
Sister Gibb began by defining prayer. “What is this event called
prayer? What do we know about prayer? Essentially it is the
means or process of communicating with our God. Through all
generations of time, reaching out for God’s supplication has
been called prayer. The beautiful hymn teaches that, “Prayer is
the soul=s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed,’” she said.
She continued to teach, “Prayer is our constant connection to
our Father in Heaven. It is the magnet that draws us to the iron
rod. Joseph Smith’s example of searching the scriptures,
reflecting and then acting is important…We must seek, and then
listen and then act.”
Continuing with the first principle she believes is important
regarding prayer, Sister Gibb asked students how they seek, and
explained, “Whenever God has given insight, revelation, or
inspiration, it is usually because of sincere seeking. Joseph
Smith would not have had the first vision had he not sought the
Lord in prayer. Most of the revelations that were given for the
restoration of the church came as a result of inquiring of the
Lord.”
The second principle Sister Gibb taught was listening to the
impressions received by the Lord.
She stated, “We have to honor the subtle feelings and
impressions we are given. Sister Sherry Dew says, ‘Our challenge
is not getting the Lord to speak to us; our challenge is
understanding what He has to say.’”
The final sequence discussed was to act. “It takes action to
pray and action after we pray. When we pray, we must do our part
to fulfill the answer. We receive our errand from the Lord and
then labor in his vineyard. By our works we shall be known. If
we seek the Lord and ask what He would have us do, and listen,
we can plan to be very busy,” she said.
Sister Gibb further taught God is available at all times and no
appointment is needed to pray to Him. “He doesn’t care for our
station in the world, our age, our wealth, or our color; only
the humility of our hearts. Each of us has complete access at
any time,” she said.
Reflecting on the example of Joseph Smith, Sister Gibb said, “I
love Joseph Smith for his passion to know the truth and his
courage to seek God through prayer, for listening and learning;
for acting on the knowledge he was given that we might be
partakers of the good news of the gospel,” she said.
Sister Gibb concluded with the plea of Moroni 7:48, which reads,
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all
the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which
he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son,
Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he
shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he
is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as
he is pure.@
Next week’s devotional speaker will be Elder Douglas L.
Callister, a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
Devotionals are held Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium
with additional seating in the Hinckley Chapel, Taylor Chapel
and Kirkham Auditorium. Devotionals are broadcast on KBYI-FM
100.5 at 2 p.m. and rebroadcast Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays
at 5 p.m.
Devotional texts at
http://web.byui.edu/presentations/ |