I have the pleasure of teaching Sunday School to the youth that are 12 and 13 years old at church. Our lesson last week was about finding answers to our questions. This got me thinking about times when Heavenly Father has helped me find answers to my questions. I know that the Lord always hears and answers my prayers, but there is one instance in particular that stands out in my mind, partially because of its recency.

About six months ago, our stake president challenged everyone to pray and ask what their spiritual gifts are. I decided to take him up on that challenge, and I prayed to my Heavenly Father and asked Him to help me recognize my gifts. The answer did not come. What was I doing wrong? I was sticking to the challenge by praying and pondering about what gifts I could possibly have. Still, no answer came.

I prayed for a few months to find my answer until, eventually, I began to forget about it. I did not feel like the Lord had abandoned me. Rather, I assumed that I still needed some time to develop the seeds of His gifts before I could acknowledge them. Life moved on and I quickly forgot about my quest to find my spiritual gifts as I became busy with preparations for moving.

Moving was really hard at first - much harder than I had initially anticipated. In my mind, moving was going to be nothing but an incredible adventure! To my surprise, I felt really lonely. I missed my friends and family. I got lost every time I tried to go somewhere. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone in many regards, and I felt vulnerable. Little did I know, the Lord was putting me where I needed to be so that I could receive an answer to my prayers of many months past.

At this point, it was about four or five months after our stake president had challenged us to search for our spiritual gifts. The prayers that I'd said regarding the subject were distant from my mind, but Heavenly Father had not forgotten. In fact, I believe that He was waiting to answer those prayers until it was the perfect time for me.

Something about moving to West Virginia made it the perfect opportunity for me to recognize the answer to my plea. As I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, I had experiences that the Lord later brought to my mind. He helped me recognize that I had been able to act in a specific way because I had a gift! He helped me see two gifts that I'd had for a long time, but had not even realized that they were gifts. These experiences illuminated my mind and the Lord used them to answer my prayers.

This has been a tender mercy from the Lord in so many ways. Simply receiving an answer to that prayer was a tender mercy because it helped me feel the Lord's love for me. It strengthened my testimony that He truly does hear my prayers, but He answers them at the right time. Often, the ideal time and the right time are not the same. Ideally, that answer would have come right when I had asked for it. However, I realize now that it would not have been the right time for that answer to come.

By waiting to answer when He did, the Lord testified to me that He hears and remember every prayer that I pray. While I would have appreciated the answer had it come six months ago, it meant so much more to me when it came amidst my time of adjustment. At a time when I was feeling lonely and so small, the Lord reached out to me and let me know that He remembered me. This tender mercy gave me strength and happiness at a time when I needed it desperately.

I know that we all have a loving Heavenly Father who hears our prayer and answers them. Those answers may not come right away, but they will undoubtedly come at the right time. If we will stay close to the Spirit, He will help us recognize those answers when they do come! Just as we could never forget our own children, the Lord can never forget us. Bringing to pass our immortality and eternal life is His work and His glory (Moses 1:39)! I am grateful for my Heavenly Father, and that He knows me well enough to answer my prayers at the right time.