If you’ve ever tried to help a toddler eat, you know how important independence is to human nature. The older a child gets, the more she insists on feeding herself—no matter how messy it gets. To the child (and, to a lesser degree, to her parents) the increased independence is well worth getting some food on her face, on her clothes, and even on Mom and Dad.
As we mature, we continue to value independence. We respect those who stand on their own two feet. We may even come to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness, that to be strong means not to need anyone.
But soon our challenges become more complicated than handling a spoon properly, with consequences more serious than a stained shirt. Commentators Richard and Linda Eyre put it his way: “We realize how little we know, how little we can control, and how dependent we are on things beyond ourselves. Those humble thoughts lead us to prayer and cause us to appeal to a higher, brighter, more knowing power. Particularly in times of crisis, in times of loss or of danger, we come face to face with our own frailty, and it seems both natural and necessary to turn to prayer.”[2]
When problems seem unsolvable and too complex to handle, we can go to the higher source of wisdom, light, and love. Perhaps we can relate in some way to Abraham Lincoln when he said, “Sometimes I am driven to my knees by the simple conviction that there is nowhere else to go!”2
Prayer is not weakness; it is our access to true strength. Prayer can fortify us for the battles ahead even while it humbles and softens us in times of trial. Ironically, it actually increases our independence, while at the same time opening our hearts to heavenly help. Instead of “When all else fails, turn to heaven,” perhaps a better motto is “Turn to heaven always and everywhere.”
[1] Originally presented by Lloyd D. Newell on the Music & the Spoken Word broadcast, 27 October 2013
[2] “The Unique Power of a Parent’s Prayer,” Deseret News, Apr. 15, 2012, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865554030/Eyres-The-unique-power-of-a-parents-prayer.html.
September 29, 2024
Broadcast Number 4,959
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductor
Mack Wilberg
Organist
Brian Mathias
Host
Derrick Porter
Simple Gifts
Shaker song; Arr. Ryan Murphy
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
Ryan Murphy
Hornpipe, from Water Music
George Frideric Handel; Arr. Carl McKinley
O Splendor of God’s Glory Bright
German hymn tune; Arr. Mack Wilberg
The Prayer, from Quest for Camelot
Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster
Fill the World with Love, from Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Leslie Bricusse; Arr. Mack Wilberg