Prayer | Rising Above

Prayer helps us transcend the stormy times. It gives us a glimpse of that blue sky that we cannot see from our earthly vantage point, and it reveals to us another vista—a glorious spiritual horizon filled with hope and the assurance of the bright blessings the Lord has promised to those who love and follow Him.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Prayer and the Blue Horizon,” Liahona, Jun 2009, 2–5

We have been hitting a bit of 'turbulence' as we are trying to make changes to meet some of our goals.  These changes have been put into motion a great deal by prayer.  You know the old saying, "be careful what you pray for."  

(Plus, I am never good in situations where I am not in control.)  SO I went looking for inspiration to calm my anxious nerves.  The first place I went was lds.org and this month's Home Teaching message from the Ensign.  It helped me a great deal, so I sat my family down for an impromptu lesson about Prayer and the Blue Horizon by President Uchtdorf.

I started by handing Lyndon a toy airplane and explained what happened to make it fly.  Then I read from the message about "Lift" and "Prayer" and how Pres. Uchtdorf parallels them so beautifully.  

In order to get an airplane off the ground, you must create lift. In aerodynamics, lift happens when air passes over the wings of an airplane in such a way that the pressure underneath the wing is greater than the pressure above the wing. When the upward lift exceeds the downward pull of gravity, the plane rises from the ground and achieves flight.

In a similar way, we can create lift in our spiritual life. When the force that is pushing us heavenward is greater than the temptations and distress that drag us downward, we can ascend and soar into the realm of the Spirit.

Then I placed these cards on a shelf above Lyndon and asked him if he could see them, he said no and I suggested Gordon lift him up so he could.

Then I read on about "A New Vista" where he says,

Daily simple, sincere, and mighty prayers lift our lives to a higher spiritual altitude. In our prayers we praise God, give thanks to Him, confess weaknesses, petition needs, and express deep devotion to our Heavenly Father. As we make this spiritual effort in the name of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, we are endowed with increased inspiration, revelation, and righteousness, which bring the brightness of heaven into our lives.

We needed that brightness to clear up some of our confusion and I am so thankful for this message.