I’ve seen the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise in Doctrine and Covenants 19:38 many times. That blessing was particularly meaningful one night on a train in Europe.
When I was a junior in high school, I and 80 classmates in AP European History went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe. We traveled from Rome to Paris. On the way, we stopped in historic Assisi, artistic Florence, and beautiful Milan. I was lucky enough to have my mom come on the trip as a parent chaperone. Having my mom with me was a great blessing, especially since I’d previously had a lot of issues with homesickness and anxiety. However, this tender mercy wasn’t the only one that I experienced during the trip.
One night particularly sticks out in my mind. To get from Milan to Paris, we boarded a night train that took us through Switzerland. It was roughly an eight-hour ride—a perfect opportunity for a good night’s rest. However, I didn’t think sleep was likely for me. I felt unsettled. The train didn’t seem secure; the countries we traveled through were very unfamiliar; and to top it off, before we went to bed, our tour guides warned us to lock our doors so that train robbers couldn’t steal our luggage during the night.
Photo by Aaron Burden
We brushed our teeth with water from bottles we’d brought—we’d also been warned not to drink the train water—and retired to our rooms for the night. In each compartment there were six bunks: three bunks on one wall, and three on the other. I was the smallest person in our group, so I took one of the top bunks. As I settled in for the night, I put my earphones in and started listening to music in the hopes of easing my anxiety. I was far enough removed from the rest of the group that I couldn’t hear what they were saying over the sound of my music.
A few minutes later, my mom turned out the lights, and I assumed everyone was going to go straight to sleep. I closed my eyes, rolled over, and tried to shut out the various scenes in my mind of train robbers sneaking into our room during the night. Suddenly, a comforting and familiar feeling overcame me, but I didn’t recognize exactly what the source of the feeling was.
In the morning, I realized where that feeling had come from. After we disembarked and were on our way to our hotel, I asked my mom if she’d prayed for peace and comfort the night before. She gave a little laugh and asked why I wanted to know. She thought that I’d heard her praying, but I explained that I’d been listening to music. She replied that at that time she was specifically praying for me. She then asked how I knew that she’d done so.
I knew because I recognized that the peace I felt came from the Holy Ghost. As the Lord promises in Doctrine and Covenants 19:38, “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof.” I saw the fulfillment of this powerful promise when my mom prayed that I would be comforted.
Source: LDS Scriptures
—Madi Puzey, Mormon Insights
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Listen to what President Thomas S. Monson says about prayer.
I love this! I think we often forget how we can bless others and others can bless us. This is a good reminder for me as I start being a better minister and following Christ’s example. My prayers and service can bless the lives of others and answer the prayers of another.
Thanks for getting me back into reading again. I really enjoyed the stuff you shared in the form of blogs. Keep writing.