Beyond Testimony

I read an article by Wallace Goddard from Meridian Magazine, that has made great sense to me today. He spoke of getting beyond testimony. After we have gained a testimony of so many doctrines and had enough experiences with our Father in Heaven, we need not keep testing each and every doctrine, or each and every thing the Prophet asks us to do, to know that it is from God. We reach a point of trust, wherein we develop a relationship with our Father in Heaven! I love that. Relationships are trust! Whenever we are apart from someone we love, we have a desire to check-in and check-on the welfare of that person, and to share feelings and thoughts and joys and sorrows!

And then, beyond the relationship is partnership. Aah . . . partnership. I know I have had a relationship with my Father in Heaven all my life. I have simply had too many experiences with Him for it to be any other way --- but partnership? I have had only moments of this last step. Only little moments which I have begun to experience, but this article made it so clear. I quote now from the article.

"Maybe the stage of relationship prepares us for the next step in our spiritual development — partnership. After all, God has asked for our mind, heart, might and strength. Many of us submit our mind first through the testimony process. Then we offer our heart as we enter a relationship. As our souls are changed by that relationship, we offer more and more of our energy. We become partners with Him in the remarkable work of blessing His children.
This stage is accessed when we turn our lives over completely to Him. We become consecrated. Our prayers no longer have the begging quality to them: Please do this or change that. We stop trying to change His mind. Our mind and will becomes aligned with His.
Ironically, at this stage of complete submission, our prayers may actually be more authoritative than in earlier stages. The person in partnership with God may pray, “Father, help me to use Thy power to bless Thy children.” Since the person has no will but God’s will, He may be able to command and be obeyed.
Enoch, meek Enoch, was authorized to command the elements in the name of God. “He spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command” (Moses 7:13).
Partnership is where we work with Him in perfect harmony to advance His perfect purposes. At this level of progression, He is preparing us to partner with Him in eternity.
Testimony is the start. Relationship comes next. Then we seek for partnership. His plan is a beautifully progressive plan to make us more like Him". (End of quote)

My desires (Bonnie Holt's desires) to bless the lives of my family have lead me to desire something more, to change the nature and content of my prayers. I have prayed more earnestly lately to "know what to pray for!" I have known intellectually that we have power from God when we give our "whole souls" to Him --- to pray for that which He would have us pray for. I guess Enoch got to the point that the Lord trusted him. He knew that if Enoch wanted to move a mountain, he had a great and noble reason to do so, one in compatibility with God. So Enoch could say, "move" . . . I think I finally understand a little more why Alma could pray for his son and an angel could not be restrained from answering that prayer. Because, that is precisely what God wanted Alma to pray for, and precisely what God wanted to happen, because that was precisely the RIGHT thing for his son. Oh, to be like Alma and Enoch. To know and act and be in partnership with God! It's such a tall order it makes me gasp, but oh I want to be. Just to bless the lives of my family --- just precisely for them! To pray not for what I want for my children, but for what God wants, for them, for my husband, and for myself.

To read the entire article: http://www.meridianmagazine.com/myth/071121beyond.html