God Cares About Your Camera

During one of the many plane flights I had to take during my religious mission, I had the opportunity to chat with a gentleman sitting next to me. We discussed a few things and then the topic turned to prayer. He proceeded to tell me a story about how his wife had lost her camera one day. It was very important that she find it because there was some event that she just didn't want to have pass her by without saving the moment. The man told me that his wife then prayed to God that He might help her find the camera. I was surprised by this man's annoyance at the prospect of his wife praying to God for something that he thought was so small and insignificant. Baffled, he began questioning out loud that doesn't God have other more important things to worry about like hunger in Africa then his wife's camera? I smiled slightly and told him, "Well, it is important to God because it is important to your wife."

For some people, the concept of a loving Heavenly Father that knows who we are by name and that is interested in us as individuals is so hard to fathom. To them God is this omniscient being that can't be reached...can't be touched. While God is all knowing and all powerful, He is also our Father in Heaven. We are His children and He loves us. He wants us to talk with Him all the time and He wants us to be happy! There is hunger in Africa and Heavenly Father does care about the people that are suffering there. In addition to that, there are also major cataclysmic events all over the world that leave people without food, homes, water, electricity, and most tragically, family. He knows about them all and hears the prayers of all those that are reaching out to Him in their time of need. However, He also cares about you and me and all the things that make us worry and fret or feel frustrated, powerless, scared, or hurt. In the world's eyes, the events that transpire in our personal lives might not seem as dire or urgent as the aforementioned tragedies. Yet to the person that is experiencing them in that moment, there is nothing more pressing, nothing more important then their need. Father in Heaven knows this and because He loves us He tends to it all with love and fervor. In other words, because something is important to us, it is important to Heavenly Father. Whether it is the starving people of Africa or a desperate wife trying to find her camera, God knows, He cares, and He wants to help because we are all His children. For this reason, it is imperative that we talk with Heavenly Father always and about everything. Only in doing so can we get to know Him even better as He guides our lives through our diligent and thoughtful prayers.

In Alma 37:37, we are given the following instructions regarding prayer. "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."