After endlessly praying for help in making an important life decision, my answer came in a completely unexpected way: a priesthood blessing from a stranger.
Photo by Christopher Rusev
As I sat pondering in the celestial room of the temple, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned, a man I had never seen before stood in front of me with a gentle smile and kind eyes. He said, “I know this sounds weird, but I have the strongest prompting to give you a priesthood blessing. Would you like one?”
After the initial surprise and confusion, I managed to nod and let out a timid “Sure.” My experience with priesthood blessings was limited, and my knowledge was minimal. I had always thought priesthood blessings were only for physical or spiritual healing. I had no idea that, as President James E. Faust notes, “priesthood blessings can help us in the small and great decisions of our lives.” President Faust discusses this concept in his talk “Priesthood Blessings.” He also explains that priesthood blessings can aid us in temporal matters, as well as spiritual and physical matters.
In the months prior to receiving the priesthood blessing in the temple, I had been praying for guidance on an important life decision. I had sought answers everywhere, but for 11 months I had received none. I was scared and felt abandoned by God. Eventually, I accepted that God’s answer for me was “It’s up to you.” But I wasn’t satisfied with that answer. Little did I realize that the one place I wasn’t looking for an answer was exactly where the answer was: a priesthood blessing.
The priesthood blessing I received that day not only answered my question about my life decision but also gave me more purpose and greater faith in God’s plan for me. As President Faust elaborates, “If, through our priesthood blessings, we could perceive only a small part of the person God intends us to be, we would lose our fear and never doubt again.”
Read or watch the rest of President Faust’s talk “Priesthood Blessings” for more insight on how we can benefit from priesthood blessings.
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Leslie Owusu, Mormon Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY GOSPEL MEDIA
Find more insights
To understand more about priesthood blessings, read President Dallin H. Oaks’s article “The Importance of Priesthood Blessings.”
Check out Sister Carole M. Stephen’s talk “Do We Know What We Have?” to learn more about the blessings we can receive from priesthood ordinances and covenants.
Find out more about priesthood blessings by referring to the Gospel Topic page “Priesthood Blessing.”