He Already Knows

At the start of my Book of Mormon class today, we were all asked to think about something in the assigned reading that spoke to us.  In my case, 3 Nephi 13:8 was a verse that I really needed to hear.  It reads: “Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him.”  I know that in my personal prayers, I will often get discouraged and probably not spend as much time communicating with my Heavenly Father as I should, and usually the reason for this lack is because I often do not know how exactly to express my feelings or my situation to Him.  However, this verse helped me to understand that He knows precisely what I am going through and understands the emotions that I am trying so desperately to convey.  In fact, I would venture to say that he knows my feeling and experiences and understands them far better than I do or ever could.  I am so grateful to have this knowledge and to know that prayer is implemented for my benefit, not my Father’s. He already knows – it’s me that requires this communication channel.  He wants to give me everything I need to succeed, and all I need to do is be righteous and to ask Him for these promised blessings.  I want to conclude with my testimony of the power of prayer as a tool to become closer to our Heavenly Father – through this sacred experience we can enable us to draw near unto Him.