"Heavenly Father, Are You Really There...?"

The words of a children's hymn often stick with my heart.  "Heavenly Father, are you really there?  And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?"  ("A Child's Prayer").  I have felt His love often.  In the dark when I was afraid as a child, in my heart as I prayed for comfort during a time of trial, or in the middle of the day when I see hundreds of other people and wonder if I really matter to him.  It comes as a quiet and gentle reassurance, He is there.  He does answer our prayers.  Just as a young boy, Joseph Smith, prayed to find God, we too can.  We are His children and "everyone that asks, receives; everyone that seeks, finds, (3 Nephi 14:7-8), that is His promise.

What Of My Testimony?

While studying the scriptures the other morning and Elder Bohnet and I began a discussion on the topic of  faith and our testimonies.  We read the account of Joseph Smith after he had seen a vision of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  He was persecuted for what he saw, and many people attempted to make him deny this heavenly witness.  But, Joseph Smith recorded, "I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true...I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, (Joseph Smith - History 1:25). "

I quote an Apostle of the Lord, Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "That was Joseph Smith’s testimony. What about ours? How can we come to know and testify that what he said was true? How does one gain what we call a testimony?"  I promise as you read this talk "Testimony" and ponder its meaning, you can come to know that what was spoken is true, and come to know, as I do, that Joseph Smith did see what he said he saw.  I promise if you do this, our Father in Heaven will answer you.