Priesthood Blessings and God’s Time

Last week I had an experience that was not new to me. Nevertheless, it didn’t make it much easier. During this time, I had a blessing, assuring me that all was well and the outcome would be what I expected. Alright, I know this sounds cryptic, but this isn’t the real purpose of the post, it leads up to it.

The blessing seemed to not hold true. What I was told, didn’t happen. Or at least, from my perspective (and pretty much every other human being who heard it would conclude the same).

I spent a week being mournful and cranky. Not losing my faith, no, but still wondering what the heck was going on. Were my ears deceiving me? Do I no longer interpret spiritual answers? Am I not worthy to receive answers? (This last one suited the pity party I like to have when things don’t go my way).

I came to a realisation. First, the same promise and answer had been given in 2 previous blessings for the same situation that ended up with the same outcome. The same answer also (or similar) came for a similar situation with a different outcome.

And then my other realisation. The Lord does not work on my time, or your time or any human being’s time. He works on His own, which encompasses all time, past, present and future. So what I perceive as should be happening now, on my own schedule, does not necessarily mesh with His schedule, or perception of scheduling. What has yet to happen for me, is a given, or rather will be and to Him, it is part of the current time.

Isn’t a 1000 years as a day to Him? Then this makes sense to me. At least it gives me more understanding and comfort.

19 thoughts on “Priesthood Blessings and God’s Time

  1. So when the Lord tells you to take two aspirin and call Him in the morning, when do you place the call?

  2. Thanks Kim. I am feeling that in spite of myself I am getting more spiritual insights, I am just not sure why since I don’t feel like I am in a spiritual frame of mind most days! But you know me.

  3. Maybe that book you’re reading has sparked something in you. Maybe the above experience caused some introspection that brought about the insight.

    I don’t think always being in a spiritual state of mind is necessary to receive spiritual insight. I do think that having spiritual practises in one’s life has a bearing on receiving insight, but I think the insights come even if the practises are infrequent.

  4. Thoughts from one who is not inspired like many Priesthood holders are:

    1. Some of us are not conduits of inspiration like we’re supposed to be by virtue of being Priesthood holders–those who have this gift say that the rest of us are just not faithful, because if we were faithful, inspiration would come like it easily does for them (and they may be right).
    2. Maybe we ask for blessings again when we don’t get the answer we want–could it be that we’re just supposed to live with it and work it out on our own–O God, why hast Thou abandoned me at this time to make this decision on my own? Should I buy green beans or peas?
    3. Be careful upon whom you impose for a blessing–are they among the spontaneously inspired or are they one of the non-gifted, and you’re making them feel worthless and unfaithful all over again, like the gifted ones do?
    4. After 45 years without this spiritual gift, I am doubting that I’ll acquire it. After spending 20 years in the Tab Choir, I have a difficult time accepting the fact that many people can’t sing–it’s so easy for me; and, it’s my gift, so I understand how the spiritually gifted feel towards those who are ungifted–except that no one looks upon those without this singing gift as being sinners because they’re not able to sing. (And, yes, my wife can’t sing more than a note or two correctly; and, I didn’t become aware of this fact until after we’d been married several months. I regret she can’t sing, but I’m glad I didn’t discover that defect until after our marriage was stable.)
  5. The person who gave me the blessing was very inspired and always is. I don’t impose on him often :) And I wasn’t expecting anything from the blessing in particular and never do. This person is always a conduit for the spirit and only says what he feels inspired to say. This has not always sat well with some who he has given blessings to, when they don’t hear what they want to hear.

    I am in awe that you are in the Mormon Tabernacle choir and trying not to be envious :) I too sing, and am trained and that has been my dream since childhood to be in the Mormon Tab, but I don’t know if that will ever happen because I don’t ever see us moving to Utah. Oh well.

    These blessings I received about the same thing were over several years, not all in a short period, nor all about the one thing, but about similar situations, at different times (in different years). And one of the blessings was from someone else. So I can promise you that I am not trying to get a different answer :)

  6. I thought you’d expressed your thoughts well. My intent was not accusatory, but to float some thoughts to be considered; mainly don’t condemn someone that you’ve asked for a blessing, and if they aren’t gifted, they still try to help you. I realize there are times we’re not satisfied with the results. About 1992, on a Monday morning, I had a triple hernia surgery, being cut on both sides. The pain was so intense that I went to the doctor’s office everyday for morphine. On Wednesday, I had my Home Teacher give me a blessing to stop the pain, in which he said I needed to learn patience–I needed the pain to stop! On Friday, the doctor said he was concerned that I was going to get hooked on morphine, and I replied that I didn’t care, as it kept the pain down (I lost 9 pounds in a week). That night I had a friend give me a blessing, telling him that I needed the pain to stop, and instantly it was gone. Was my Home Teacher inspired? I’ve never worried about that. Was my friend inspired? I haven’t worried about that either. Was it my faith? Will I be condemned for asking specifically for what I needed, going against my first blessing that I needed to learn patience? I don’t care to worry about it. Would the pain have stopped without the blessing? Eventually, but I might have become a drug addict.

  7. Over the course of my life I have received many Priesthood Blessings (including my Patriarchal Blessing) that says I will be married “in this life” and that I will have “a family that is a joy to me”. A number of blessings said (word for word the same) that the “Lord is eager to see (you) married as there are righteous souls waiting to be borne of you”. I am going to be 50 this year. My last relationship (with an abusive twit) was 20 years ago. Nothing since then. What am I to make of these blessings? Did something unforeseen happen to the man I was supposed to marry? Did we miss each other somehow? Was one (or both) of us unworthy in the end? Over the years these blessings have caused me great angst (and I went inactive for several years in my early thirties because of them). All of them were given by kind, generous, honourable Priesthood Holders. I have no answers here – just questions. And believe me, when I see Heavenly Father (still single, I know), I will certainly be asking Him those questions!

  8. Often when I think about blessings like this I think of the ones I recieved to do with the girl I thought i was going to marry. I was sooo sure of it.

    Most of my blessings during that period were simply ones of comfort rather than ones of instruction and in the end, after a rather dramatic screaming fit falling out. Picture Adam Sandler in the Wedding Singer saying something like “Again, something that would have been nice to know YESTERDAY.”

    In the end I found my wife about nine months after that. She having been dumped by her fiancee at the temple the day on Christmas Eve after getting back from a funeral (Ah class).

    So in a way the blessings I received were absolutely correct in comforting me while not promising anything big.

    My Patriarchal blessing on the other hand is so vague it could almost have been given to anyone.

  9. Dan

    Oh good, I just wanted to clarify and thank you for your comments, it is food for thought. Interesting experience you share. I don’t know what the answer is.

    SS

    I don’t blame I would want to know the answer too. All I can say is the time idea that I brought up seems to fit your scenario too, but as well, maybe the millennium is connected to “this life”? I don’t know.

    Jon

    That has been my experience too. I don’t put my emphasis on interpretation until after something has happened that clarifies. One interesting thing is that I was called a Mother in Zion a full 8 years before I had a child and 5 years before I was married (in a blessing). Not that I ‘would be’ but that I ‘was’ which lends weight to my theory that the time encompasses more than the here and present time that we view.

    I think with Patriarchal blessings they are a guideline a “what can happen” rather than the fortune telling material some seem to think it is. And again, it is often after the fact that we understand what was meant.

  10. Well, since right now I am a Human Female, Heavenly Father has run out of time to send me those “righteous souls in this lifetime”. Which perhaps isn’t a bad thing – my sister has teenage boys right now and it’s all I can do is stop myself from murdering them on a weekly basis. What I would do with them if I were their mother, I don’t know. So some days I will consider that maybe – just maybe – Heavenly Father just might know what He’s doing after all! :)

  11. Maybe if the blessings did refer to the Millennium, SS, you’d be able to raise teenage boys who acted like angels. ;-)

  12. I am so sorry that it didn’t work out in your time. What a wonderful blessing knowledge and perspective are when we are to deal with things that are not in our time. You really should be proud of yourself for accepting the Lord’s will (and of course mourning) but having faith and hoping and learning:)

  13. Thanks Amanda. It brings a great deal of peace though, understanding and receiving this insight. Yes, hoping and learning (what this life is all about!)

  14. Hi Mary

    As you know what I have had to deal with over the last 5 months or so, I have had numerous priesthood blessings, all done by Keith with assistance at times, on his own at other times. I kept getting told the same thing but I would ask for another time. I was asking for help in making my mind in regards to the surgery, should I shouldn’t I, did they get all the cancer, did they not etc etc. I kept getting told to use my faith and it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I wanted a straight yes or no answer. Finally the last time I asked for a blessing I told Keith that I needed him to make sure he asked the right question. He looked at me like I had horns on my head and said ok you do understand that what I say is not what I say but what the Spirit says. DUH of course I knew that.

    I have been a member for almost 30 years this fall and that was the very first time that I was ever “slapped on the wrist” for asking the Lord such questions and that he had given me the power of discernment, that I already knew the answer to my repeated questions, and that I needed to believe in my Faith.

    After the Amens were done I looked at Keith and he just held up his hands, backed off a few safe steps away and said “It wasn’t me!” I told him it was ok I understood now, that I had been asking the Lord to make my answer right so if something went wrong I had someone to get angry with.

    Like you Mary, many many times I have wished the Lord’s time was on the same page as mine.For many many many years I wanted more children… desperately wanted more children, my patriarchal blessing promised me many children. I waited and waited.. never understanding why not. then one day in the middle of an argument with yet another of our teenagers (at the time of this argument we had 3 -16 year olds and 2-14 year olds) and as I stormed off to my room to put myself in a time out.. I got on my knees and the answer came as clear as if Christ was standing in front of me. I knew that He knew one day, I would have 5 teenagers, a husband working out of town and I would have 1 full time job and 2 part time jobs and that my limit would be at peak capacity. I knew then that also having this young toddler/child coming up would never have been fair to that child. I finally got it.

    Yup He could have told me that years prior to that moment. Again the same time frame on the same page and as one commenter stated that will be at the top of the list of questions I ask. I am rambling and have completely forgotten the point I had started to make. Just know I love you Mary and that my arms are around you right now.

  15. Mum

    Thanks for sharing, and I love you too. It’s interesting learning things this way, isn’t it?

    I will email you privately about my experience and how it came about.

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