The Power of Prayer

Can we change people?

I remember someone telling me once, “You can’t change people, no matter how much faith you have or how often you pray, or how heartfelt and sincere those prayers are. People have their free agency and it is what it is. The third of the host of heaven fell away not because God didn’t love them enough, or have enough faith, or because he didn’t pray enough…they had their agency and they chose a different way.”

Or there’s the classic, “Lehi was a righteous prophet, and even he wasn’t able to convince his sons Laman and Lemuel to change their ways and choose the paths of the Lord”.

These are often the type of excuse resorted to when a loved one makes choices counter to the commandments of God. We fall back on the “agency card” and lose hope or fail to exercise our faith through prayer.

I choose to believe differently, and I am convinced that we do have the power to influence lives, and even alter the course of direction that a loved one is choosing through our faith and prayers. That is precisely why I love the example of Alma, and why Mosiah 27:14 has become one of my favorite scriptures over the years.

Mosiah 27:14
“And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.”

Alma the Prophet was able to influence and even alter the eternal destination of his son by praying with faith for a miracle to happen of bringing his wicked son to a knowledge of the truth. Because of Alma’s faith and prayers, and the prayers of the people, not only was Alma the Younger convinced and changed, but he then went on to convince and change the lives of thousands of wicked Lamanites.

There is most certainly a power in prayer. The Bible Dictionary reminds us of this, and places that work, that obligation, and even that opportunity squarely on our shoulders:

“The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”

Let us continue in prayer and faith for a miracle to happen in the lives of our young brethren.

A Firm Foundation and A Beacon to the World

This is a powerful image of a lighthouse that was built long ago off the harsh coasts of France. It took several years to build because there are only a few days in the year where the waves are calm enough to permit construction. However, because it was built deep into the core of a rock-solid foundation, it has withstood the relentless pounding of the mighty ocean waves for years and consistently stands as a beacon of hope and warning to the world.

I spoke briefly with Treyson on Saturday and I left a message with Cameron. Treyson was at a friend's house, so perhaps he was a bit distracted, but he seemed a little less than motivated on our Book of Mormon challenge. He hadn't been reading and couldn't quite remember where he'd left off. Rather than feel discouraged, I drew hope from this image of the lighthouse and reminded myself that some young men might take just a little bit longer to build because the sailors they will some day protect might just be traveling in some pretty rough waters. There's no need to feel frustrated our discouraged, because we know that their foundation is being built upon the rock of their Redeemer, who is Christ (Helaman 5:12), and we know that just as Father Lehi promised his children, Cameron and Treyson have that same promise: "if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it" (2 Nephi 4:5).

These two fine young men are like this lighthouse. They have been brought up in the way, and are built on a firm foundation. And as a result, they will be able to withstand not only the fiery darts of the adversary, but also the relentless pounding of the treacherous ocean waves. And most importantly, they will stand as a beacon to the world, pointing the way of hope and salvation.

Let's keep reading. Let's keep praying. Let's keep building!