Believe In Healing
(for
parents of a wayward child or spouse of a wayward companion )
by
Barbara Matson
1
Nephi 17:18
And
thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they
might no labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship;,
neither would they believe that
I was instructed of the Lord.
Mark 9 17-29
a father brought his son to Jesus and
explained that “he teareth him; and he foameth, and gnasheth
with his teeth, and pineth away; and I spake to the disciples that
they should cast him out, and they could not.'He answereth him, and
saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you; how long
shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. …
Jesus said unto him, If thou
canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with
tears, Lord, I believe; help though mine unbelief.”
then Jesus rebuked the foul spirit
and the spirit cried and left him. And the boy was like he was dead
but Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him u; and he arose. When
the disciples asked him privately, why they could not cast him out,
Jesus said “this kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer
and fasting.
Matt. 17:20-21
of this same incident in Matthew it
is recorded.
19: then came the disciples to Jesus
apart, and said, why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of
your unbelief for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a
grain of mustard see, ye shall say unto this mountain , remove hence
to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible
unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and
fasting.”
When Jesus was
met by the leader of the synagogue who's daughter was dead, Jesus
said “be not afraid, only believe” then
he went to the house and although there were scoffers who laughed him
to scorn, he told her to arise and she arose and walked.
We can
figuratively, bring them to Christ and ask that he cast out the evil
from them. Our part is to BELIEVE! Really believe with all our
hearts and not lose faith even if it takes a long time for this
process to happen. Free agency plays a part in this. But, all
things are possible to him that believeth.
Faith is a
principle, Believing is the action we take when we have faith. Faith
is not valid if we do not believe.
John 17:I
pray not that thou
shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep
them from the evil.
Another great
talk on belief is “Do I Believe?” by Bonnie L. Oscarson April
'16
“We have a
knowledge of these things, but do we believe them? If these things
are true, then we have the greatest message of hope and help that the
world has ever known. Believing th;em is a matter if eternal
significance for us and for those we love.
To
believe, we need to get the gospel from our heads into our hearts!”
As a parent of
one who has strayed into unbelief we find ourselves in a desperate
situation much like the father who brought his son to Jesus when he
was possessed of a devil.
When our child,
son or daughter, denies Christ and all that they have been taught are
they not also possessed of the devil. Does he not direct their
thinking?
President
Uchtdorf explains it like this:
“Be Not Afraid, Only
Believe” by Pres. Uchtdorf Oct. 15
another of Satan’s deceptions;
that belief is available to some people but not to others. There is
no magic to belief. But wanting to believe is the necessary first
step! God is no respecter of persons. He is your Father. He wants
to speak to you. However, it requires a little scientific
curiosity—it requires an experiment upon the word of God-- and the
exercise of a “particle of faith” It also takes a little
humility. And it requires an open heart and an open mind. It
requires seeking, in the full meaning of the word. And, perhaps
hardest of all, it requires being patient and waiting upon the Lord.
If we make no effort to to believe, we are like the man who unplugs a
spotlight and then blames the spotlilght for not giving any light.
...Brethren, let me be clear; there
is nothing noble or impressive about being cynical. Skepticism is
easy—anyone can do it. It is the faithful life that requires moral
strength, dedication, and courage. Those who hold fast to faith are
far more impressive than those who give in to doubt when mysterious
questions or concerns arise.”
How should we
pray for them? Follow the example of Jesus in the Lord's prayer.
“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”.
We can and should always pray that our loved ones will be protected
from Satan and that the evil one will not have power over them.
Rather than
having our list of things we want the Lord to do we should be asking
what we should do and how? If we have an idea then we should go to
him and ask if it is right? Then proceed with faith, believing in
His word.
Remember to
fast. Fast often and sincerely, Fast in the best way that you can.
Then, Pray,
often and sincerely, on your knees, on your feet in your chair but
listen to the answers. The answers will most often be found in the
scriptures. Spend time searching them daily. Don't just read them.
Search them. Connect scriptures by subject to each other and to the
conference talks which explain these things in easy to understand
language for us.
Effective prayer
is not a “To Do” of things we have decided we want God to do for
us” It is not constant incessantly begging, begging and pleading.
It is asking in faith and believing. It is followed by trust and
action on our part. It is trusting in God. It is continual prayer
but not panicked begging as we first might do, that has to find and
end as we learn to believe and to be grateful for every blessing
along the way. It is taking action to do our part.
Mighty prayer
are said in the temple. Go there. Do it. Have faith, believe.
Pray for yourself that you can bear this burden and then remember the
11th article of faith. Allow all men, (even our own
children or spouse) to worship according to the dictates of their own
conscience. But never give up hope in your heart. Continue with
mighty prayer and fasting and believe!
Remember
this quote from Vaugh J. Featherstone of the Seventy
“I promise
you that all who faithfully attend to temple work will be blessed
beyond measure. Your family will draw closer to the Lord, unseen
angels will watch over your loved ones when satanic forces tempt
them, the veil will be thin and great spiritual experiences will
distill upon this people.”
They will come
back. We hope sooner instead of later but we must be kind and loving
to those who hurt us so deeply with their unbelief.
Now be
grateful. Be grateful for every step and tiny drop of progress and
mercy that we receive. Gratitude can heal our hearts. It is not
God's plan to take away agency but it is His plan that we all make it
back to Him if we choose.
Pres.
Uchtdorf, April '14 conference
Grateful in Any Circumstance
We can choose
to be grateful, no matter what, ...When we are grateful to God in our
circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of
tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise.
In pain, we can glory in Christ’s atonement. In the cold of bitter
sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven's
embrace. We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after
our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is, How
much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking
God that there is rain”
Being
grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with
our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we
look beyond our present-day challenges. This is not a gratitude of
the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and
expands the mind.
This is a
parent's trial every bit as much as a wayward son or daughter or
spouse's trial. God knows that you will help them find their way
back. You will do all you can. Perhaps that is why he gave them to
you, because he knows you and that you care and will do everything
you can to help them along the way back to Him.
If you want his
direction then search his words daily with sincere prayer. It is
more important that eating and definitely more important that TV or
facebook. We all have time to seek his direction. Allow yourself a
good measure of time to do this.
These trials
should make us become better people. We can only really control our own
selves and that is only to a certain extent. We can control our
attitude and our hearts. We can make it back to Him! We can be an
example of righteousness and of a pure heart.
1- Pray mighty
personal prayers. Participate in temple prayers.
2- Ask
questions, Listen, act.
3-Fast seriously
and sincerely for a purpose
4-Believe,
really believe, like a mustard seed! -Trust the Lord
5-Be grateful
