From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 10/4/2019
Mighty Prayers
Mighty prayer is mentioned only four times in the Scriptures. I will quote them here.
1) “Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night time. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me” (2 Nephi 3:39).
2) “And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried to him in mighty prayer and supplication, for mine own soul” (Enos 1:5).
3) “And it came to pass that as the disciples of Jesus were journeying and were preaching the things they had both heard and seen, and were baptizing in the name of Jesus, it came to pass that the disciples were gathered together, and were united in mighty prayer and fasting” (3 Nephi 12:14).
4) “. . . ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this, ye shall have power that on him whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 2:2).
What were the results of these mighty prayers?
Mighty Prayer #1: “. . . and angels came down and ministered unto me. And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceeding high mountains; and mine eyes have beheld great things . . .” (2 Nephi 3:39-41).
Mighty Prayer #2: “And there came a voice unto me saying, Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. . . . Now, it came to pass that when I heard these words, I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren. . . (Enos 1:7, 12).
Mighty Prayer #3: “. . . and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, what will ye that I shall give unto you?” (3 Nephi 12:15).
Mighty Prayer #4: “And on as many as they laid their hands, fell the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 2:2).
What can we do to make our prayers mighty?
In Mighty prayer #1, Nephi prayed with boldness in mighty prayer because of his previous experiences with God. See 2 Nephi 3:35-38. Previously answered prayers strengthen our faith.
In Mighty prayer #2, Enos kneeled down before God. Whenever I have cried out to God in times of greatest need I have invariably been on my knees. Almost without exception, these prayers have been answered. “Let us kneel before the Lord our maker” (Psalm 95).
In Mighty prayer #3, the disciples “were united in mighty prayer and fasting.” When we pray in union with others, our prayers are more powerful.
In Mighty prayer #4, Jesus instructed his disciples to “call on the Father in my name” (Moroni 2:2). We should always pray in the name of Jesus.
Mighty prayers bring miraculous results. We should endeavor to pray mightily. When prayers are supported by faith and fasting they become more mighty. When the disciples of Jesus were unable to cast a devil out of a child, they asked, “Why could not we cast him out?” And Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief; for, verily, I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed . . . nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:15-21).
Awake! Ye saints of God, awake!
Call on the Lord in mighty prayer,
That he will Zion’s bondage break,
And bring to naught the fowler’s snare.
(Awake! Ye Saints, Hymns of the Restoration, #166)
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Dear Ones,
Praying mighty prayers is praying with all of our might, mind and strength. Mighty prayers are fervent, effectual, untiring, wrestling with God. The effort required to become a recipient of the power and presence of God was demonstrated by Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of day . . . And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him . . . Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:24-30).
Upon several occasions during my life, God has answered my prayers in such miraculous ways that I could not doubt the blessings received were from Him. On each of these occasions my prayers were offered in great earnestness from the depth of my heart.
It was during a summer in the early 1970’s, as we were “rounding up” our cattle that a “wild cow,” her calf, and two yearlings, ran blindly through a tightly stretched barbed wire fence, thus entering into my neighbor’s field of corn. The field was complete with the corn, a stream of running water, and plenty of shade. What more could cattle want? I called my neighbor to inform him of my cattle in his corn. I was told he had gone on a two week fishing trip.
After nearly two weeks of fruitless attempts to remove the mavericks, my angry neighbor came to see me. His visit was something less than cordial. He said we will get ‘em’ out tomorrow, or as he said, “we will shoot ‘em and drag ‘em out!” We agreed to embark on this mission impossible at 7 A.M. the following day.
That night I prayed fervently; “Lord, you know I’ve always tried to be a good neighbor. I can’t be a good neighbor with my cattle grazing in my neighbors cornfield! We’re going to need help tomorrow morning.” I was desperate.
It was a restless night. I was up early the next morning, and one of the hired men came to work earlier than usual too. We decided to drive by the neighbor’s cornfield before he arrived. We thought we might be able to spot the cattle. It had rained during the night making matters even worse. As we drove down the muddy road by the neighbor’s field, we began to see cattle tracks. We stopped to check. We found one set of large footprints, one set of very small prints, and two sets of middle-sized ones. We followed the fresh cattle tracks for nearly a mile until we came to the barbed wire gate at the entrance to our pasture. Next we noticed that the top wire of the gate was broken, and there within a hundred yards of the gate, we saw the runaway cattle grazing peacefully in their own pasture! They must have arrived very shortly before our arrival. I called it “the precise timing of the Lord.”
If you have ever had anything to do with cattle, you will agree, this was a miracle! One of my first thoughts was “Lord, I only asked for your help. I didn’t ask you to return the cattle single-handedly.”
The hired man and I returned home just in time to greet the neighbor who had come at the appointed hour. We rejoiced together! My insurance paid for the damage done by my cattle. The relationship with my neighbor was restored and the fence was mended. Years later, only a few days before his accidental death, he came to my office and we had a very cordial conversation. Considering the times in which we live, the need for mighty prayers has never been greater.
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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