Only a Prayer Away

By J. Harvey Hapi

(Based on a true story)

Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee (Job 22:27).

Hyrum peered over the bookrack and checked to see that his mother was still in the next aisle.

When he saw her standing there, he continued to look at the books on display. The crowded Brisbane airport in Queensland, Australia, buzzed all around him like a beehive next to a flowering gum tree.

Suddenly, he heard announced over the intercom, “Passengers for flight QF555 to Sydney, please proceed to Gate 12.”

Hyrum ran into the next aisle, but his mom wasn’t there. He searched the bookstore, but she was gone! Hyrum began to panic and his heart started to beat faster.

He made his way to the crowded corridor, looking up and down for his mom. She was still nowhere in sight.

“Maybe she’s waiting at the gate,” Hyrum thought. He ran as fast as he could, scanning the passengers’ faces as he weaved through them. When he reached Gate 12, he looked over the rows of seats, but his mom wasn’t there either. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his reflection in the big glass window. Lost and alone, Hyrum began to cry.

As he sobbed, Hyrum suddenly felt a warm impression come over him. He imagined his mother kneeling beside him. He saw the gentleness of her smile and felt the softness of her hand. He remembered what she had told him earlier that morning: “Remember, Hyrum, if we get separated for any reason, I am only a prayer away.”

Hyrum immediately stopped crying. He closed his eyes. “Heavenly Father,” he prayed silently, “please help me find my mom.”

As he opened his eyes he heard someone say, “Excuse me, young man, are you OK?”

Hyrum looked around and saw a flight attendant looking at him.

“Are you OK?” she asked again.

“I’ve lost my mom,” he replied.

“Don’t worry,” she told him. “We’ll find her.”

An announcement was made over the intercom, and soon Hyrum saw his mom hurrying toward them. He thought she might be angry, but she just hugged him tightly. Then they boarded the plane, and soon they were flying high above the clouds.

As he gazed out the window, Hyrum thought about what had happened. He knew that the Holy Ghost helped him remember what his mom had told him. He could still feel the warmth in his heart as he prayed to Heavenly Father, and he was grateful to know that help was only a prayer away.

[He Hears Our Prayers]

“Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “To Young Women,” Ensign, Nov. 2005, 28.

Illustration by Matthew Smith