Have you ever asked a question in prayer… and then had it answered right away?
Often I get caught up in all the complicated and intricate ways that Heavenly Father responds to me, that I forget that sometimes, He is totally ready to just give me a response when I ask a question.
The Brother of Jared spoke to the Lord: “We shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.” (Ether 2:19)
And the Lord responded: “Thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.” (Ether 2:20)
A concern was presented.
And an answer was given.
But there’s one thing that I noticed.
The Brother of Jared had already built the barges.
The Lord had previously told him to build barges, and the Brother of Jared built them, knowing he didn’t have the answers.
He built them knowing that air and light were going to be concerns.
He didn’t need to know all the details before he started.
He knew that if the Lord had told him to build barges, all of the issues would be solved and questions answered in due time.
I like to “see the forest before the trees” when I work through new projects in my life.
I like to see the whole picture before I can take the steps from tree to tree.
But often, the Lord just shows us one tree at a time, before we ever see the forest.
He’ll answer our questions when He knows they need to be answered, and not when we first think of them.
The Lord absolutely can answer our prayers right after we ask our questions – but sometimes, the timing of our asking is the most important part.
Build. Get to work. If the Lord commanded, He will answer the small questions when He knows we need them.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
