Suppose...you are a mother or father with a son who is straying from the path of righteousness...You can do much to pray him home...to fast him home. You can repent enough of your own sins that, through your sacrifice, the Lord may intervene more in his life and save the boy. It's not that you're paying for your own sins--Jesus did that. But through your agency, through your sacrifice, you are able to receive blessings that you otherwise would not be able to obtain. (Of course, these things still depend on the agency of others--our prayers can't supersede the agency of those we're praying for. But sacrifice and fervent prayer can do much to help. With such prayer we can accomplish much--even if it doesn't bring our loved ones all the way home.)~Gene R. Cook
And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard...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 prupose 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.
Mosiah 27:14
3 comments:
Great quote from a great man. He is a personal family friend who was raised in my home ward. I was so sad to hear he was released from active service (because of his health) at the last conference. I love his tape on raising up a righteous family.
What I have seen correlates with this quote quite well. If we have repented of our sins, if we are praying not just for the child but that we might be filled with love for them - that true and unconditional love forms a bond that literally ties their hearts to us and brings them home, more humble and teachable than when they left.
I have several of Elder Cook's talks on CD's and I can't express how much I love them...and him. The talk on raising up a righteous family should be in every home! I've bought a copy for each of my 4daughters. It is a MUST have. "IF ONLY" I could have found it twenty years ago!
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