“That Was My Mistake…I Stopped Praying!”

TheDiscipleMD

While serving in a war-torn country in 1976, and during some extremely dark days as a missionary, I was stationed in a tiny town on the Pampas of Argentina. With limited funds due to the military Junta that had overthrown the government, and a strained relationship hemorrhaging with my assigned companion, I found myself in a place that I had never been. In a time of very limited outside communications, I felt totally alone, abandoned, and without hope for a quick resolution to my dilemma.

Relying on my faith in the power of prayer I spent hours each day in supplication to the Lord to give me strength. I often found myself on my knees in tears begging for help while looking heavenward for the sight of an angel who would bring me relief. I truly believed in the ‘ministering of angels’ as recorded in the scriptures. (Mark 1:13) To my dismay, I never received a visit, although my faith never waivered.

With time came a transfer out of that area and a wonderful experience insued at a new location and with a new companion. Months went by and I had the opportunity to meet the missionary who had replaced me in my former assignment. He had become so discouraged with the situation there that, within a month he had asked to be reassigned and had considered returning home. As we shook hands, we had a verbal exchange that, to this day, I have never forgotten. He asked, “How did you do it? I wanted to go home after one month and almost did! How did you last for six months in that kind of situation?” I replied, “I don’t know. I just know that I have never prayer harder in my life.” Then with a nodding head he softly replied, in an introspective kind of way, “That was my mistake…I stopped praying.”

As he walked away I left pondering his response. I asked myself, “Do ministering angels have to be seen by the human eye, in order to carry out the work of God?” The answer to that question was confirmed by the spirit in my heart that carnal eyes are not privy to all that is about them!

“Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing..” (Moroni 7:25)

I believe that many of us can be found ‘in the arms of angels’ where we can be given strength, courage, and protection, as well as inspired direction for our lives. May we hold to our faith in the power of God and that we are his children. He loves us and if the veil were parted, I believe we would see his hand manifest in our lives more often than we know.

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