One of the most important things we can build in this life is a personal relationship with our Father in Heaven. He has given us the gift of prayer so we can talk to Him anytime, anywhere, about anything. And then we learn through experience, over time, how He communicates with us. For each person, this may be different. And it may be different depending on the circumstances as well.
We can prepare to receive personal guidance, direction, and communication from God — what we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call personal revelation — by reading scriptures and pondering them, praying often, fasting, and gratefully recognizing the blessings in our lives. The scriptures also teach us that we need to “ask in faith, nothing wavering.” That faith is essential to receiving answers to prayers, and to building a personal relationship with God.
How do answers come?
Elder Robert D. Hales, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said this in a recent talk:
By unwavering faith, we learn for ourselves that “it is by faith that miracles are wrought.”18
Generally, those miracles will not be physical demonstrations of God’s power—parting of the Red Sea, raising of the dead, breaking down prison walls, or the appearance of heavenly messengers. By design, most miracles are spiritual demonstrations of God’s power—tender mercies gently bestowed through impressions, ideas, feelings of assurance, solutions to problems, strength to meet challenges, and comfort to bear disappointments and sorrow.
For more information on this topic, please see the following links:
Elder David A. Bednar: That We May Always Have His Spirit to be With Us (audio link, >video link)Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Personal Revelation (audio link, video link)Gerald N. Lund: The Still Small Voice: Revelation and How it Can Come (audio link)
“Does God answer my prayers?” – Jennifer shares her experience with receiving answers to her prayers at a critical decision point in her life when she was learning about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“How can I feel closer to God?” – Noelle shares her experiences with receiving answers to her questions
