As parents we hope our children will have a strong desire follow President Russell M. Nelson and our other living prophets. But when we live in such a divisive world, where trust in authority figures is often absent or broken, how do we teach our children to have trust in God’s living prophet? How do we teach them to have confidence in what he has counseled us to do, even if it is something difficult or something they disagree with?
With such weighty questions at hand, we might think we need master teaching skills or an elaborate plan. But I’ve found one “small and simple” thing we can do each day to instill trust in our prophet: we can pray for him.
What to Pray For
We are often with our children in casual family settings at home where we have opportunities to pray (such as at family gatherings, meals, or bedtime for younger children). In moments when your children hear you pray, ask for specific blessings for President Nelson. This could include blessings of health, guidance, and strength. A prayer like that will show your love for and confidence in him.
Or you could pray about something the prophet has recently emphasized, such as for help to “think celestial” or guidance for your family as you prepare for the Second Coming.
You can also pray to see the blessings President Nelson has promised in our lives. For example, last conference President Nelson said, “Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple.” You could pray for that to be realized in the lives of your family members. These specific prayers will show that you know what the prophet is teaching and that you take it seriously.
And finally, in prayer you can expresses your personal gratitude for President Nelson and for prophets in general. What do you specifically appreciate about President Nelson’s leadership? How has the counsel or testimony of prophets blessed your life recently? Briefly expressing those things in prayer can help your family develop gratitude for “a prophet to guide us in these latter days” (“We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet,”Hymns, no. 19)
A Living Testimony
Prayer is a natural, normal way to share your testimony of the prophet. And while each child will choose their own path, I believe that through prayer, we can help our children move closer to a testimony of prophets like those of Nephites in the Book of Mormon:
“And now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled” (3 Nephi 5:1).
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