Compassed

As Jonah lay in the belly of a fish, he prayed to God, acknowledging his own distress but expressing faith that God hadn’t abandoned him:

I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Jonah 2:2-3

Nephi used similar language to express the suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed by forces beyond his control:

I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted….

Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.

2 Nephi 4:18-19, 23

Struggling with bad habits or being unable to keep up with all of your obligations can be overwhelming. Temptations and sins can encompass us just as the water of the sea encompassed Jonah when he was in the whale. But like Jonah and like Nephi, we can derive hope from the knowledge that God is listening, that He hears our cry.

Today, I will visualize God hearing my prayer. As I struggle to do better and to be better, I will remember that I don’t have to do this alone. God is willing to help me, and He will hear my cry as I plead with Him for help.