Igniting Heavenly Blessings
Once when I was a young girl, I prayed for a puppy. Nothing happened. When I asked my parents if we could have a puppy, they said that the yard between the house and the perimeter fence was not fenced and so we couldn’t keep a puppy in the yard. I asked if I could contribute my own money towards materials to finish the fence. They were not accommodating.
Did God hear the prayer of my little-girl self? Of course he did but the timing was not right. Later in life, I got a puppy.
“The question of how to access and obtain those blessings has been the subject of theological debate and discussion for centuries. Some contend that blessings are completely earned; we receive them only through our works. Others argue that God has already chosen who He will bless and how—and that these determinations are unchangeable. Both positions are fundamentally flawed. Blessings from heaven are neither earned by frenetically accruing ‘good deed coupons’ nor by helplessly waiting to see if we win the blessing lottery. No, the truth is much more nuanced but more appropriate for the relationship between a loving Heavenly Father and His potential heirs—us. Restored truth reveals that blessings are never earned, but faith-inspired actions on our part, both initial and ongoing, are essential.”
Once a bunch of women and I got together to form a homeschool group. In the group were people from other parts of town that I didn’t know. Some of them would later help me to organize a big group with lots of classes. But this time, we had one meeting and then nothing happened. The people in the group had a lot of potential and the gifts that would eventually make a strong homeschool organization. I don’t know why the group didn’t get off the ground then, the potential was there.
“Let us liken heavenly blessings to a massive pile of wood. Imagine at the center a small mound of kindling, topped by a layer of wood chips. Sticks come next, then small logs, and finally huge logs. This woodpile contains an enormous amount of fuel, capable of producing light and heat for days. Envision next to the woodpile a single match, the kind with a phosphorus tip. For the energy in the woodpile to be released, the match needs to be struck and the kindling lit. Striking the match and lighting the kindling are small actions that enable the potential energy of the wood to be released. Until the match is struck, nothing happens, regardless of the size of the woodpile.”
The second time a bunch of women and I got together to start a homeschool group, we took the action needed to light the fire. My friend Liz researched how to form a group and we decided to file in Texas as a business and create some bylaws. We kept meeting and held our first class in my friend GayLyn’s house. Still, we needed a blessing bigger than one class. We needed a location where we could hold classes for all our kids. If you ask any of us about the location where we hold classes, we will tell you that it is a blessing. There is nothing else in the city that would allow us to hold so many classes for so low a fee.
Most blessing that we receive require action on our part. It is an act of faith to move forward because the outcome is not seen clearly. Our faith leads to a blessing with the condition of God’s approval and timing. Almost always, the action is tiny compared to the blessings we receive.
Prayer can be seen as an act of faith. “One of the objects of prayer is to secure blessings that God is willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking….Often, the activation energy needed for blessings requires more than just looking or asking; ongoing, repeated, faith-filled actions are required.”
In planting a garden, more is required than just planting a seed. In my experience, the potential for food is there but the regular, daily application of water is a crucial action that determines the blessings one gardener receives that another doesn’t get. Praying for natural rainfall might lead to God blessing the garden once or twice but most gardeners know that natural rainfall doesn’t grow vegetables. Faith in vegetables requires ongoing action for the growth to continue. So it is with life.
Small actions fuel our major successes. Each step results in blessings or roadblocks. Getting to success requires multiple blessings and the ingenuity to get past the obstacles. In our homeschool group, it was years after we were awarded nonprofit status before we figured out how to actually get tax exemption when buying something at the store. You could say that we earned tax exemption by applying for and being awarded the nonprofit status, but the blessing was still behind a major obstacle - understanding the legal requirements to apply for the blessing. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” D&C 130:20-21
Just because a blessing is predicated on a law doesn’t mean we earn it. “When you receive any blessing from God, you can conclude that you have complied with an eternal law governing reception of that blessing. But remember that the ‘irrevocably decreed’ law is time insensitive, meaning blessings come on God’s timetable. Even ancient prophets in search of their heavenly home ‘died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off … [and] were persuaded … and embraced them.’ (Heb 11:13)” With God, “you do not earn a blessing—that notion is false—but you do have to qualify for it. Our salvation comes only through the merits and grace of Jesus Christ. The immensity of His atoning sacrifice means that the woodpile is infinite; our puny actions approach zero in comparison. But they are not zero, and they are not insignificant; in the dark, a match that is lit can be seen for miles. In fact, it can be seen in heaven because small acts of faith are required to ignite God’s promises. (See also Alma 60:11, 21)”
I am confident that God sees and answers prayers. His desire is to help us learn in this life how to reach out to him and receive his direction. Through small and simple actions on our part we can see His hand in our lives when the result is grander and more glorious than anything we could have imagined.
Source:
Renlund, Dale. "Abound With Blessings." Ensign. May 2019.