“The Restoring Power of Prayer,” Liahona, Jan. 2011, 11
Our Homes, Our Families
The Restoring Power of Prayer
I can still remember my feelings the time I saw tears of repentance streaming down the face of my 10-year-old son, Arián.
He had been playing with his older brother, Joel, who was 12, in the bedroom, when all of a sudden an argument broke out, and I had to intervene and reestablish order. Perhaps because of their ages, fighting had become frequent between the boys.
In response, Arián, who was visibly shaken and crying after his altercation with his brother, responded to me in an unacceptable manner. I corrected him twice (now his argument was with me), but the situation just got worse. He was out of control, red in the face, and shaking. My nerves were getting to me, but I knew that there had to be a solution without my starting to shout.
The principle of prayer quickly came to mind. Yes, that was the answer, and so I took him into my room, closed the door, and said, “Arián, let’s kneel down, and I’m going to offer a prayer to Heavenly Father.”
We both knelt down as his cries of fury continued. I prayed with the objective of trying to help my son. In the middle of the prayer I noticed that his sobs were dying down. The tears rolling down his cheeks were now tears of repentance.
As we concluded our prayer, Arián raised his eyes and asked, “Dad, can you forgive me?” We embraced, and I was not able to contain my own tears. Feelings of peace and love filled my soul. Arián said nothing more, but I knew that he had experienced the restoring power of prayer and that the Holy Ghost had penetrated his heart.
Now he not only knew about the power of prayer, but he had gained a testimony of it.
Photo illustration by David Stoker