My lesson on Sunday is going to be pretty simple. As I was reading the chapter, one paragraph really stood out to me.
"Do you want guidance? Have you prayed to the Lord for inspiration? Do you want to do right or do you want to do what you want to do whether or not it is right? Do you want to do what is best for you in the long run or what seems more desirable for the moment? Have you prayed? How much have you prayed? How did you pray? Have you prayed as did the Savior of the world in Gethsemane or did you ask for what you want regardless of its being proper? Do you say in your prayers: “Thy will be done”? Did you say, “Heavenly Father, if you will inspire and impress me with the right, I will do that right”? Or, did you pray, “Give me what I want or I will take it anyway”? Did you say: “Father in Heaven, I love you, I believe in you, I know you are omniscient. I am honest. I am sincerely desirous of doing right. I know you can see the end from the beginning. You can see the future. You can discern if under this situation I present, I will have peace or turmoil, happiness or sorrow, success or failure. Tell me, please, loved Heavenly Father, and I promise to do what you tell me to do.” Have you prayed that way? Don’t you think it might be wise? Are you courageous enough to pray that prayer?"
It reminds me of Alma 5, which I have always considered as my way to have a PPI with a prophet. I plan on using these questions in the same way. They will basically guide our discussion.
"...all people, if they are worthy enough and close enough to the Lord, can have revelations." SWK
The following questions, given to us by Spencer W. Kimball can help us to receive the revelation that has been promised us.
1. Do you want guidance? This is a very important question to ask of ourselves. How many of you have ever had the pleasure of being lost with someone who absolutely refused to get directions? Or even worse, refused to listen to your directions which you know would get you there? There is an analogy here to our own life. I think that sometimes we are either so busy reacting to life, or we are so sure that we know the way, that we forget to look for the guidance that would help us
2. Have you prayed to the Lord for inspiration? Once we admit that we need guidance, who do we get it from? It is true that Martha Stewart can give guidance to my cooking, and HGTV can help me decorate my home, but only Heavenly Father can guide me to the path that will lead back to him.
3. Do you want to do right or do you want to do what you want to do whether or not it is right? I think this would be a great question to ask ourselves before we pray. How do you think the answer to this question might affect the outcome of your prayer?
4. Do you want to do what is best for you in the long run or what seems more desirable for the moment? Uhmm... both please? Well, that would be nice, but what about when they conflict?
5. Have you prayed? How much have you prayed? How did you pray? Here are two quotes from SWK that relate to these questions.
"Having given them their free agency, their Heavenly Father persuades and directs his children, but waits for their upreaching, their prayers, their sincere approach to him. …
The Lord is eager to see their first awakening desires and their beginning efforts to penetrate the darkness. Having granted freedom of decision, he must permit man to grope his way until he reaches for the light. But when man begins to hunger, when his arms begin to reach, when his knees begin to bend and his voice becomes articulate, then and not till then does our Lord push back the horizons, draw back the veil, and make it possible for men to emerge from dim uncertain stumbling to sureness, in heavenly light."
" If one rises from his knees having merely said words, he should fall back on his knees and remain there until he has established communication with the Lord who is very anxious to bless, but having given man his free agency, will not force himself upon that man"Discuss
6. Have you prayed as did the Savior of the world in Gethsemane or did you ask for what you want regardless of its being proper? Do you say in your prayers: “Thy will be done”? Do you mean it?
7. Did you say, “Heavenly Father, if you will inspire and impress me with the right, I will do that right”? Or, did you pray, “Give me what I want or I will take it anyway”? Can someone tell of a time when the right thing you were inspired to was difficult, but you did it anyway and were blessed because of it?
8. Did you say: “Father in Heaven, I love you, I believe in you, I know you are omniscient. I am honest. I am sincerely desirous of doing right. I know you can see the end from the beginning. You can see the future. You can discern if under this situation I present, I will have peace or turmoil, happiness or sorrow, success or failure. Tell me, please, loved Heavenly Father, and I promise to do what you tell me to do.” Have you prayed that way? Have you? Could you?
9. Don’t you think it might be wise?
10. Are you courageous enough to pray that prayer? How does that kind of prayer take courage? Where can we get that courage?
This lesson might not work in a ward where the RS women refuse to talk or participate. However, I've noticed that these type of questions tend to some elicit amazing discussion in my relief society. However, I will be sure to be familiar enough with the lesson to refer to quotes from the manual when guided to do so by the spirit and by the discussion. I can't wait to see what we all learn!
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