(12/3/04)
"Joseph Smith has given us not only the message of the divine Restoration but also the practical how-to steps to obtain personal and divine communication. The young Joseph tells us of the confusion in his life. Said he, 'I was laboring under... extreme difficulties' (JS-H 1:11). He was driven to the scriptures to seek guidance, which he found in the epistle of James: 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God' (James 1:5). The young Joseph said, 'At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God' (JS-H 1:13). Joseph no doubt also read the following words given by James: 'But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed' (James 1:6). Joseph knelt to offer up the desire of his heart. Then came a wrestling and darkness. This was followed by the light of the divine message. The answer and the instruction were complete and full. Is not this the instruction, the how-to we need to obtain divine answers to the confusion and to the vexatious problems in our lives?" - James E. Faust, "He Restoreth My Soul," Ensign, October 1997, p. 2

(12/4/04)
"Brothers and sisters, as we go forward in our lives, let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is our Father. He is accessible to us. He is the author of eternal truth, the Master of the universe. The handle is ready, and the door can be opened to His abundance. 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.' (James 1:5-6.)" - Gordon B. Hinckley, "Pillars of Truth," Ensign, January 1994, p. 2

(12/5/04)
"Take time to meditate. Meditation on a passage of scripture-James 1:5-led a young boy into a grove of trees to commune with his Heavenly Father. That is what opened the heavens in this dispensation." - Ezra Taft Benson, "Seek the Spirit of the Lord," Ensign, April 1988, p. 2

(12/6/04)
"Sometimes we may feel that our spiritual edge has grown dull. On some very trying days, we may even feel that God has forgotten us, has left us alone in our confusion and concern. But that feeling is no more justified for the older ones among us than it is for the younger and less experienced. God knows and loves us all. We are, every one of us, his daughters and his sons, and whatever life's lessons may have brought us, the promise is still true: 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.' (James 1:5.)" - Howard W. Hunter, "Blessed from on High," Ensign, November 1988, p. 60