14 And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions.
15 And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage.
Jesus said, “Ask, and ye shall receive” (3 Nephi 27:29). That promise is sure. Heavenly Father will answer our prayers when we pray in faith. But this doesn’t mean that every time we pray for a specific blessing we will receive exactly what we requested immediately. There are at least three reasons for this:
- Sometimes we’re not ready for the blessing yet, such as when Alma and his people prayed for deliverance from bondage (Mosiah 24:13-14).
- In some cases, we may be asking for the wrong thing, as when Paul asked the Lord three times to take away a weakness which was designed to keep him humble (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
- In other cases, our own sins may be preventing us from receiving the blessing we seek. As Mormon tells us in the passage above, this was a factor in the case of Limhi’s people. They sought deliverance from bondage, but “the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities.”
Even though these factors may inhibit or delay the blessing we seek, our Heavenly Father is still mindful of us and continues to bless us when we reach out to Him in humble prayer. As Mormon explains, even though the Lord was slow to provide the precise blessing they were requesting, He still blessed them in response to their prayers. He softened the hearts of their captors so that their burdens became more manageable.
Today, I will remember that my prayers are heard and answered. If I don’t immediately see the answers to my prayers, I will trust my Heavenly Father and recognize that there may be good reasons for Him to delay or withhold blessings I have prayed for. In those cases, I will also look for the compensatory blessings that the Lord is willing to send me immediately in answer to my prayer.
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