When Faced with a Mountain to Move....Ask

One of my homework assignments in high school required us to read an article from a woman who claimed she 'used to be Mormon,' or had 'grown up in the Mormon religion.' It didn't bother me that she was no longer a practicing Mormon. What bothered me was that she claimed the Mormon religion had taught her not to ask questions. There was NO room for questions or doubts. As I talk with complete strangers, with all different religious or non-religious backgrounds everyday, I can't believe how many have expressed, in one way or another, the belief that asking God "why?" is a sin.

That is a lie.

The entire Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ began because a simple boy asked a simple question: "Which of all the sects was right?" Joseph Smith was 14 years old. He lived in New York during a time of great religious excitement. Many different sects of religions proclaimed many different ways for salvation. Each proclaimed they were right. But how was a 14 year old farm boy supposed to know which was correct? Joseph Smith turned to the scriptures. He studied the Bible thoroughly. In Ephesians, he learned there must be "One Lord, one faith, one baptism". As he continued to study, he came across James 1:5

If any of you LACK wisdom,

let him ASK of God,

 that giveth to ALL men liberally, 

and upbraideth not; and it 

SHALL BE GIVEN HIM.

                                  

And so he did. He went to a grove of trees and prayed to God to know which of all the sects was right. That is when our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith.

When Christ and His apostles were killed, there really was no one to turn for answers to questions. Eventually men started to rely on their own wisdom because somewhere along the line they forgot that prayer will provide personal revelation. That belief has been passed down to Saints since that time.

In order for any of our questions to be answered, we must turn to our loving Heavenly Father. Just as growing up we each turned to our parents, or a parent figure, for answers, our Heavenly Father desires for us to turn to Him. As we ask our questions in prayer, we will find our testimonies of Christ grow. We will find our relationship with Heavenly Father grow stronger and closer.

As a representative of Jesus Christ, the message I share everyday is simply to ask God for yourself. Ask Him where you stand with Him. Ask Him if His gospel is on the earth. Ask Him to be able to feel His love by recognizing the daily promptings of the Holy Ghost. But then be ready to act. Be ready to follow Christ. Have a sincere desire to know and I promise you, your loving Heavenly Father will tell you.