Family Life and Friendship Network

While Julie served her mission, I took an astronomy course at Salt Lake Community College. I found this course very inspiring as I pondered The Creator of all the stars, planets, moons, galaxies, etc. that I studied. I wrote her a letter about some of my ponderings. It said something like this:

We pray every day. God hears our prayers and answers them. Often, miracles occur because we pray for them. We don't stop to think what a miracle prayer itself is. Consider the speed of light. It takes sunlight 8.5 minutes to reach Earth. We therefore can only see what happens on the sun 8.5 minutes after it happened. If we could somehow travel instantaneously a few thousand light years from Earth and had some way to see people on it still, we might see Moses, Abraham, or Adam and Eve. Light is the fastest communication form we have, but when we pray, no delay occurs. God hears us now.

Consider this, too: Hearing a prayer the instant one speaks it means he must hear millions of prayers at once. Our Father hears and comprehends all these prayers at once, and he responds according to our faith and His Will, not to one prayer at a time, but to all prayers, all at once. Of course, this does not mean we get what we want, when we want. Sometimes His greater understanding dictates a different response than the one we request. Other times, He waits for us to show more faith.

Most of the time, we probably should "knock". Would you answer the door if you heard one small thump? I'd probably wonder if it really came from the door...

Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Luke 11:9

Considering this miracle we call prayer, I urge all those who read this to pray for my wife, Julie.