Blessings of the Sacrament

Our lesson in Relief Society today was based on this talk by Brother Clarke from the October 2012 General Conference. He outlines 5 blessings we can receive by partaking of sacrament each week. His fourth one was one of those "ah-ha" moments for me. Again, something I knew, but have never really thought of.

"IV. We Can Receive Inspiration for Solutions to Our Problems

The fourth principle is that we can receive inspiration for solutions to our problems during sacrament meeting. When I was a mission president in Bolivia, my wife, Mary Anne, and I had the blessing of attending a mission presidents’ seminar with President Henry B. Eyring. In that meeting he taught that there are three important ways to prepare to benefit from a meeting. We should come with our problems, humble as children ready to learn, and with the desire to help God’s children. (That's the part that got me.)

As we humbly come to sacrament meeting, we can be blessed to feel impressions for solutions to our daily problems. We must come prepared, be willing to listen, and not be distracted. In the scriptures we read, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.” We can know what we should do to solve our problems."

As I read that, it brought back a conversation we had in Gospel Doctrine just a few moments before. Someone made the comment that our spiritual blessings and things don't come without work. We can't pray or get a priesthood blessing (etc. etc.) and just expect the Lord to say "Here ya go!" We must do our part in order to be ready when He does direct us, because He will. 

He always does.