Even when you do not receive powerful answers to prayers, you can still gain a testimony of Christ and witness his guiding influence in your life.
I can count on one hand how many times I have received an obvious answer to a prayer. As a teenager, I often felt out of place in testimony meetings. Unlike other members in the congregation, I could not honestly say that I knew The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was true when it seemed that my prayers for revelation went unheard. If you are like me, you may understand my yearning for a miraculous spiritual experience to transform my sincere belief in Christ into an unquestionable faith in him. However, I have learned that we do not have to wait for miracles to gain a testimony of Christ.
Photo by Ulrike Mai
In the general conference talk “Waiting on the Road to Damascus,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf explains that faith in Christ “often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time.” He continues: “Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.” In other words, the accumulation of small, spiritual experiences can coalesce into a miraculous testimony of Christ.
President Uchtdorf explains that we cannot receive these “puzzle pieces” of testimony by waiting for a miracle. Instead, he encourages us to act in faith by (1) heeding small spiritual promptings, (2) serving others, and (3) sharing gospel truths that we do know. As we perform these everyday acts of faith, the Lord will give us spiritual experiences that will help us recognize the Savior’s consistent, guiding influence in our lives. Even though our prayers may not be answered obviously or immediately, we can have the courage to continue forward in faith, trusting in future revelation.
Read “Waiting on the Road to Damascus” by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf to learn more about how others have gained testimonies of Christ through everyday acts of faith.
Source: General Conference
—Abigail Tree, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY TIMA MIROSHNICHENKO
Find more insights
Read “Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayers” by Elder Richard G. Scott to learn how to better identify subtle answers to prayers.
Read “Waiting on the Lord” by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland to understand how to build and maintain your faith even in difficult times.