~by Heather L.

In one recent weekend, I had three headaches.

The first I was blessed to know was the kind I have regularly. I knew I just needed to endure it for a day or so. Sure enough, the next morning it was gone.

That evening, though, I ended up with a different headache that was so bad that I finally had to excuse myself from our visiting friends and go to bed.

As I lay there with this excruciating headache, I began to pray for relief. Instead of tensing up, worrying about how much it hurt, and how long it would endure (what I usually do), I prayed for faith, and began to remember the times that the Lord heard and answered my prayers in the past.

Thinking through those times, I fell asleep — a good, healing sleep, and when I awoke just an hour or two later the headache was gone.

Unfortunately a day or two later, Headache #3 arrived. Even though the third headache was painful, I was grateful it was not that awful headache again. I knew that even if Heavenly Father didn’t take it away, that He could help me survive it. And I did!
Many times I find myself praying about my headaches. I worry that I won’t be able to take care of my family, and the house. My prayers sound a lot like the prayers of Helaman’s army in the Book of Mormon:

Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people. (Alma 58:10)

And, as I have reread my headache experiences, I realized that I have received answers very similar to the Lord’s answers to Helaman and his people:

Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. (Alma 58:11)

Many times, like it or not, I have had to press on, praying for peace and faith and hope, and do what needed to be done, just like Helaman:

And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty. (Alma 58:12)

I have seen again and again, that making it through headaches, and making it through life’s difficulties, is always best done hand in hand with God! Whether we must endure it, or we are helped through it, or have it miraculously removed, overcoming adversity is all made possible through our Heavenly Father and our Savior’s love and strength! I am so grateful for that!

Next time, I’d like to be reminded of these truths in a less painful way, though!