"Petitioning in
prayer has taught me that the vault of heaven, with all its blessings, is to be
opened only by a combination lock: one tumbler falls when there is faith, a
second when there is personal righteousness, and the third, and final tumbler
falls only when what is sought is (in God's judgment, not ours) 'right' for us.
"Sometimes we pound
on the vault door for something we want very much, in faith, in reasonable
righteousness, and wonder why the door does not open. We would be very spoiled
children if that vault door opened any more easily than it does now.
"I can tell, looking
back, that God truly loves me by the petitions that, in his perfect wisdom and
love, he has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us not only much
about ourselves, but also much about our flawless Father."
- Neal A. Maxwell,
"Insights from My Life," BYU devotional address October 26, 1976; see
also New Era, April 1978
