It's No Coincidence

Quite a few years ago, I had a friend who was trying to make some tough decisions.  One of them was whether or not to take her kids out of public school and enroll them in a new charter school in town.  She said that she prayed about it, but didn't receive an answer.  This particular school was only accepting new students via a lottery pick - it was very tough to get in.  She decided, even though she hadn't received her answer, that she would attend the lottery pick.  Her children were the first names drawn in the lottery.  She told me that she still had a decision to make, because she hadn't received an answer to her prayer.  Another decision she was trying to make was whether or not to have another baby.  Again, she prayed and told me that she hadn't received an answer.  She said that she would continue trying not to get pregnant until she had a firm answer one way or another.  A couple weeks later, she called to tell me that she was expecting.  In the same phone conversation, she told me that she was worried about the pregnancy because she still hadn't received an answer from Heavenly Father about whether or not it was time to have another baby.  I was completely dumbfounded.  To me, the answers to both of her prayers had been revealed in a very real and tangible manner.  But to her, because she hadn't been answered in the way she thought prayers should be answered, she thought that both the lottery drawing and the pregnancy were just coincidences.

©Darrell Wyatt

Samuel the Lamanite prophesied to the Nephites about the coming of Christ.  He said that in five years time, there would be many signs given prior to and during His birth, so that the Nephites would know that the Messiah had finally come.  Well, these signs started happening just as Samuel had prophesied.

And angels did appear unto men, wise men, and did declare unto them glad tidings of great joy; thus in this year the scriptures began to be fulfilled.(Helaman 16:14)

But the people still did not believe.  They hardened their hearts, saying:

Some things they may have guessed right, among so many; but behold, we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot come to pass, of which has been spoken.(Helaman 16:16)

All the signs that they had been shown thus far were coincidences, they thought.  Of course the prophets of old could've guessed that a few of these things might happen, they said.  Because they didn't receive the signs in the manner that they expected, just like my friend, they didn't believe that they could be coming from Heavenly Father.

I have never been one to believe in coincidences.  I don't believe in luck.  Sometimes, when something great happens to someone, the natural thing to say is "You're so lucky!", but I always stop myself and change it to "You're so blessed!"  It just makes more sense to me that way.  I truly believe that Heavenly Father has his hand in every aspect of my life - that he cares about everything I care about.  I've always said that everything happens for a reason, and I really do believe that.  To me it is not just a cliche. 

Having said that, I know that I have most likely discounted answers to prayers because I was unsure if that's what I was really getting.  Answers to my prayers rarely come in such an obvious manner as they did for my friend.  Sometimes I doubt the answers that I get, thinking that I may be getting a certain feeling just because that's the answer that I was hoping for.  In those times, I've learned how important it is to continue praying for clarification.   I've become a little better at trusting each answer and knowing that Heavenly Father knows me and knows what is best for me.  I think doubt is a very powerful tool that Satan uses to confuse us and lead us astray.  For this reason, it is so very important to keep an open dialogue with God.  The more time I spend talking to my Heavenly Father, the less room there will be for those doubts to creep in.  I feel so blessed to know that He is there, listening always to even my most trivial concerns.

Click here to read what I read today: Helaman 16