Prayer

Prayer

I wrote this in 1978 long before there was such a thing as a blog.

Doctrine & Covenants 112:10. 

"Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers."

Many people can testify that God answers prayers and that they are important.  While reading about one of my ancestors I found a story, which illustrates this idea.

During the month of January 1856, the weather was very cold, the temperature ranging 20 to 30 degrees below zero at times.  On one occasion my Great, great, great grandfather found himself in Mill Creek Canyon alone.  It was so cold no one cared risk going to the canyon that day.  He was at the time, hauling house logs, five to a load.  After getting logs cut and dragged to loading place, he commenced loading on bobsled, one end on the sled, and the other dragging in the snow.  The loading being very slippery, he thought he was being very careful.  He got the first one loaded, turned around to load another.  The one he had loaded sipped off like it was shot out of a gun, struck him in legs and threw him forward on his face across other logs lying on the ice.  In falling his handspike slipped out of his hand and out of reach.  He found himself with his body lying face down across four logs with fifth lying across legs.

He was pinned by a heavy red pine 10 inches through at large end, 22 feet long across his legs.  There was no visible means to extricate himself and no one was in the canyon that day.  In falling on the logs his breast and stomach were hurt and it was difficult to breath.  He did not know what to do and concluded to ask the Lord to help him, which he did in earnest prayer.

After calling upon Lord for some time he began to make an effort to extricate himself but all in vain.  He continued in his efforts until he was exhausted and lost all recollection of his situation.

The first he remembered afterward, he was a mile down the canyon sitting on his load of logs, the oxen going gently along. He, being very cold, stopped the oxen and tried to get off and put his coat on.  He could not and put it on in a sitting position, wrapping his legs the best he could.  He did not know how long he had been there but he supposed it was two hours since he was two hours later getting home than usual.  On arriving home his wife lifted him from the wagon and helped him to the house, placing him by the fireside and took care of the team, etc.  He said later. 'Who it was that extricated me from under the log, loaded my sled, hitched my oxen to it, and placed me on it, I cannot say, as I do not know or even then, at the time remember seeing anyone, and I know for a surety no one was in the canyon that day but myself.  Hence I must give the Lord or my Guardian Angel credit for saving my life in extricating me from so perilous a situation.'

He was a very humble man and had been prepared for such an occasion.

You may not have such a dramatic answer to your prayers, but you will get an answer and you can have one as equally important in your life.

Love,

Grandpa