When Prayers and Pleas Fail

If you're anything like me, you've prayed to God wondering where He's at, or begging for relief from adversity only to be met with, yep, more adversity... maybe even crickets from above. Maybe this made you question if He's there.

I have even mistakenly thought that if I just did XYZ, or served others in this way or that, then somehow I would glide blissfully along with no obstacles. So then I accept whatever church assignment assuming I would have a blessing-shower for my willingness, only to meet struggle after struggle, not the rainbows and sunshine I pictured.

As painfully frustrating as both of those things can be remember this: 

"there is a force in the universe determined to oppose every good thing you try to do."  - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

I have been reminded over and over especially these past few years about opposition in all things, faith preceding miracles, and about enduring life's challenges with patience. One of the most mic-drop comments in all of my Christian life is hearing Elder Jeffrey R. Holland share this in his talk Waiting on the Lord: 

"With apologies to Elder Neal A. Maxwell for daring to modify and enlarge something he once said, I too suggest that “one’s life … cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free.” It simply will not work “to glide naively through life,” saying as we sip another glass of lemonade, “Lord, give me all thy choicest virtues, but be certain not to give me grief, nor sorrow, nor pain, nor opposition. Please do not let anyone dislike me or betray me, and above all, do not ever let me feel forsaken by Thee or those I love. In fact, Lord, be careful to keep me from all the experiences that made Thee divine. And then, when the rough sledding by everyone else is over, please let me come and dwell with Thee, where I can boast about how similar our strengths and our characters are as I float along on my cloud of comfortable Christianity.” My beloved brothers and sisters, Christianity is comforting, but it is often not comfortable. The path to holiness and happiness here and hereafter is a long and sometimes rocky one. It takes time and tenacity to walk it. But, of course, the reward for doing so is monumental."

I didn't intend for this post to be all about Elder Holland's words but they perfectly embody what I have come to learn. Christianity is not a warm electric blanket, it's a cross. Jesus Christ said, "“Arise[,] … take up your cross, [and] follow me.” 

So what do you do when you love the Lord, try to follow Him, but you're met with unbearable challenges? What if prayers and pleas for relief seemingly fail? Just remember: Waiting on the Lord is part of it. Struggling and going through hard things is part of it. Feeling like God is quiet is part of it. Having opposition is part of it. 

"So, if sometimes the harder you try, the more difficult it seems to get; if, just as you try to work on your limitations and your shortcomings, you find someone or something determined to challenge your faith; if, as you labor devotedly, you still feel moments of fear wash over you, remember that it has been so for some of the most faithful and marvelous people in every era of time."

If you're struggling to keep your faith, struggling to feel God's love, struggling to hear Him or to see His hand in your life, just know you are not alone. 

I promise you that your prayers and pleas will never fail because there is a God in Heaven fixated on you. Trust in His timing.

Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever.

As a side note, I really miss Elder Holland. What a legend! ❤️