Serving as a missionary, I wore a badge that held my name sketched above “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. That badge became something I cherished; it was a physical representation of how close I wanted my name to be to the Savior’s. We talked of Christ daily, we read about him for hours on end. I learned more about the Lord on my mission than at any other point in my life, yet I still have so many questions. Dedicating time to God opened a lot of doors for spiritual experiences. Many of these experiences were coined with the word, “listen”.
Every time I heeded that invitation, that simple word was directly followed with answers or direction I had been seeking for some time.
One night, after a long day’s work, I finagled my badge off of my shirt and set it on the nightstand. Crawling into the cozy sheets for what was going to be a great night’s sleep, I was prompted to get out of bed, kneel down, and talk with God. Feeling the monotony of that reminder, I rolled my eyes at the “get out of bed” part, I mustered up the last ounce of strength I had left and landed my knees on that less-than-forgiving floor. The moment my knees touched down, I heard the word again:
“Listen.”
God continued: “Remember! Kneeling in prayer will always give you access to the power of Heaven. Do this often throughout the rest of your life, no matter how tired you may become.”
After closing the prayer, I slowly opened my eyes. I sat there with the most powerful sensation in my heart confirming what I had just experienced was not just in my head. That feeling didn’t go away for a while. I knelt there in awe, forgetting my prior exhaustion and wondering why, at that moment, God had chosen to teach me with such spiritual force.
Remembering this experience reminded me that I could make some changes in my nightly routine. For some time now, I have said a quick prayer laying under my sheets, right before catching some shut eye, which is good; yet, I could do better. There is something special about the act of kneeling down to talk to God.
Isn’t it crazy how sometimes the slightly illogical things are the very acts that bring us closer to God?
We fast – we give up food, of which our body runs on, for a short time – and we are given added strength.
We pay tithes and give to the poor – give away 10% of our income and more – and we are provided for.
We bend our knees closer to earth and somehow reach heaven.
I can’t explain it all, of course. But the one certain thing I was reminded of today was that God is around. I don’t always understand his purposes. I won’t be able to explain all his ways, but I will always be able to say,
“God is around.”
I hope you feel Him, too. Happy Easter, my friends!
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