The occurrence of a single miracle, of just one faith-promoting event in our lives, is a
very special thing, and is representative of the great love our Heavenly Father has for us. Much
better, though, is when there is a pattern of miracles, such that blessings flow down continually
upon us day by day, or even real time, moment by moment. When that happens, we have become
the catalyst in the world, showing forth mighty faith in God and able to control the powers of
heaven. Under such circumstances, we are a great benefit to our fellow man, both inside and
outside the Church<\/span>.<\/p> <\/p>
We acknowledged at the beginning of this book the risk of virtue overdone and the
dangers therein. But we also took note of the greater and more common dangers of apathy and
mediocrity––in faith in God and in righteous works––that are prevalent throughout the world.
Apathy and pride are the two dominating evils of our time. If we seek to obtain revelation to
guide our families, and we are seeking after miracles in our lives, then we need to find the
corresponding replacements for these two negative character traits. Apathy towards the things of
God can be replaced with desire for the same. Pride can be replaced with humility. Free agency
allows for replacements such as these to occur in our lives at any time and for any reason.<\/p>
<\/p>
Certainly, there is always a danger for us to ask amiss—to ask God for things that are
inappropriate for us. If we are selfish, proud, or treat sacred things frivolously, then most likely
we will ask amiss and be guilty of sin. And if for some reason we feel the need to ask for things
that are clearly inappropriate from a Church doctrinal standpoint, then we damage our
relationship with God and test his patience. But in normal life, such situations are rare. Most
members of the Church are sincere and humble, and they ask for things that are proper in most
cases—things they need in their personal lives, things they need for their family, and things they
need in their efforts to serve their fellow man. Requests made to heaven for all of these are all
well received by God.<\/p>
<\/p>
It’s very easy to avoid asking amiss if we use common sense. The first act of a common-
sense approach is to strive to be worthy of the Spirit. This helps us decide not only what we
should ask for, but also the manner and the timing in which we should ask. The manner is
important––the setting, the reverence, and the fasting that accompany our prayers. The timing is
important––our patience in the matter, and that we have completed all of the necessary steps to
prepare ourselves as we submit our petition to God. <\/p>
<\/p>
As previously stated, we can safely assume that the normal needs we have—the things
we ask God for every day—fall safely upon a master list of things in heaven that are good,
wholesome, and appropriate for us. The default position of the Lord is always––Ask and ye shall
receive. <\/p>
<\/p>
In the story of Barbara, the reader may recall the mentioning of two important sets of
questions that we should remember when seeking a miracle.<\/p>
<\/p>
The first set of questions was: <\/p>
<\/p>
What did we do in our lives before the need for a miracle came along? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Were we already in the act of consecrating our lives to the work of the Lord? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Were we seeking to grow in faith and do good things without needing to be <\/i>told<\/i>? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Were we already far down the road of righteousness, learning how to control the powers
of heaven for the benefit of ourselves, our families, and others? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
And the second set of questions: <\/p>
<\/p>
What will we do afterward if a miracle is granted? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
How will we show gratitude to the Lord? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Will we be grateful the first or second day and then simply shrug our shoulders and go on
with our lives as before—like the nine men cured of leprosy who quickly went their way and
forgot the Savior forthwith? Or will we be like the Samaritan who<\/i>,<\/i> once cured, returned and
bowed humbly before the Savior<\/i>,<\/i> showing heart-felt thanks? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
What guarantee or hope does the Lord have that miracles, once granted, will change our
souls for the better? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
As Lawrence Wood sat on his patio chair pondering Audrey's tragic circumstances, he
looked out at the sunset and wondered if a miracle was possible. This is our question as well. <\/p>
<\/p>
What can lay members of the Church like us actually do through the priesthood for
someone in need? <\/p>
<\/p>
Do we have the faith necessary to bring about a miracle through a priesthood blessing? <\/p>
<\/p>
Do we think of the blessing of the sick as something we can perform one day and then
forget about the next... where there is no provision in our planning to either follow up with the
person being administered to, or for us who give the blessings to feel more accountable in the
final outcome?<\/p>
<\/p>
And then, of course, there are the social aspects of priesthood blessings. As we lay our
hands on someone to administer a blessing we are sometimes preoccupied with what the people
watching us will think of our performance. We become like the young priest blessing the
sacrament for the first time who is concerned with getting the words right, performing the steps
properly, and sometimes wondering if he is even worthy to perform the blessing in the first
place. In this way, the success or failure of the priesthood blessing becomes measured not by the
result, but by the outward performance of the actor who pronounces the blessing. <\/p>
<\/p>
Our minds also tend to become caught up with other unimportant questions when we go
about the blessing of the sick and afflicted.<\/p>
<\/p>
Is the one administering the blessing a priesthood leader with many years of experience?<\/p>
<\/p>
Did the person who performed the blessing need to look first at the handbook, or was he
able to do it completely from memory? <\/p>
<\/p>
Was the blessing short, or did it go on for a long period of time with all sorts of
interesting details added?<\/p>
<\/p>
The truth is we have become overly sophisticated in our faith. We no longer have the
simple faith of a child necessary to perform priesthood blessings. <\/p>
<\/p>
Confidence, experience, and a good reputation in the ward are good. Humility, love, and
being filled with charity are better. <\/p>
<\/p>
We should consider a simpler, more straightforward approach to our use of priesthood
power. A young child, a boy, kneels down on the carpet, bows his head, folds his arms, and talks
to his Heavenly Father in prayer. It's a simple, but powerful process. The young boy is still
learning the mechanics of prayer: the opening and closing words to say, words that can be added,
what to ask for, what to give thanks for, how to be reverent. But he trusts his mother and father
fully, and when he prays, he has no doubt that the prayer is being heard. The younger the child,
the greater the faith.<\/p>
<\/p>
Like a child, the person giving a blessing may be someone who yearns to understand
what faith is and who appreciates all the help he can get from the priesthood mentor standing by
his side, but also, someone who is humble, gentle, and eagerly seeking to please his Heavenly
Father. A priesthood holder like this may more easily meet the requirements for a successful
blessing than say, a twenty-year veteran of priesthood leadership who rushes through the
blessing in order to return back quickly to his job or busy home life.<\/p>
<\/p>
On the other hand, the progression of a righteous boy to a righteous young man, to a
righteous missionary in the mission field, to a righteous husband and father, and then to a
righteous man of God in the Church with a vision of Zion—he who is as powerful as a lion in his
faith and leadership capabilities among his fellow men––such a man is ready to move mountains
when he lays his hands upon the sick or afflicted. <\/p><\/span><\/p>
<\/p>
A man who has reached this level of desire in the gospel will have regained all the faith
he had previously as a child and is surely ready to bring to pass a miracle. He is ready to perform
a priesthood blessing, whether to heal, to provide comfort, or to pronounce untold blessings. The
words he speaks come easily... he fears nothing. He places his hands on the individual with his
heart and mind carried away into a vision of heaven, imagining and drawing power from a
glorious scene of God the Father sitting upon His throne and the Lord Jesus Christ at His right
hand. He feels the power of the priesthood flow through him like the power of the sun. He
understands the legacy of the priesthood to which he has been ordained, and which goes back to
the beginning of time. He acts simultaneously in both strength and love. He has already become
a leader in his ward by nature of the royal priesthood that he holds and the power of God that is
in him; any formal callings or assignments he has been given in the Church are simply
appendages to that. His desire is to consecrate all he has to the building up of the kingdom of
God on earth. He is a righteous king of Zion in the Church<\/span>.<\/p> <\/p>
Normal expectations have been nurtured among us—passed down father to son from
generation to generation—about what is achievable as we lay our hands on the sick. Yes, today
we know better. We are not fools; we are not lions of faith. We know that great miracles, the
ones we read about in the scriptures, were only intended for those of olden times and not for us
living today. We understand this principle of normal expectations very well and, unfortunately,
continue to live by it. <\/p>
<\/p>
That is not to say a strong desire and yearning for miracles does not exist among the
members of the Church. The mourning parent, the loving brother or sister, the good friend, the
Relief Society president, the concerned priesthood leader––the hearts of all of these overflow
every day with love and compassion towards persons in need. And how great they are! How
wonderful and great is the faith of such persons as they earnestly seek to comfort any and all who
are afflicted in our midst! Their prayers avail much. <\/p>
<\/p>
But at the end of the day, we still often lack the simple faith of a child. We are left to
wonder if we have accurately articulated the words of the Spirit in our blessings. <\/p>
<\/p>
Mechanically, and to the best of our abilities, we may choose to give a blessing of
comfort only, unprepared or unsure how to ask for more. Perhaps in our hearts we are afraid to
be embarrassed in front of others, or to improperly raise the hopes of the one being blessed. And
in the days that follow a blessing, we may be prone to just shrug our shoulders, thinking that
whatever happened is the will of God when, in fact, we are not sure at all what really happened.
Did we shoot an air ball in our delivery? Did we promise too much, thereby asking amiss? Was a
miracle preapproved in the heavens, but didn't come about because we fell short or knew not the
requirements? <\/p>
<\/p>
Important questions to answer. Difficult questions to answer. <\/p>
<\/p>
Describing these problems doesn’t necessarily make them easier to solve, but like
repentance, recognition of the problem is the first step towards a resolution. The doctrine of the
Church imposes no limitations as to what we can accomplish as members, no limitations of <\/p>
either scope or quantity of great works. The limitations of faith in God that exist among us today,
and that have existed for generations in the Church among our fathers and grandfathers, are a
learned behavior of our Latter-day Saint culture—like adult elephants easily tied to poles with
thin ropes. <\/p>
<\/p>
As priesthood holders in this modern age, if we can break free from the tentacles of our
sophisticated natures and learn to believe in God again, putting our faith in Him as a child does,
the rewards for us could be beyond comprehension, even breathtaking—breathtaking for the
Church and breathtaking for the world. <\/p>
<\/p>"}