Child Comforted in Sorrow Through Direct Answer to Prayer
Published March 25, 2026 at 3:29 AM
Contributed by
Todd Morgan
Beaumont, CA, 92223
Benjamin Ashby had a quarrel with his sister and, whether from punishment or sorrow, went to bed with his heart filled with grief and trouble, sobbing without being able to control himself. He got up and kneeled down by his bedside and asked the Lord to let him go to sleep immediately. A spirit of calmness and quietude entered his heart, and he lay down in comfort. Though he had been taught the Lord's Prayer and other children's prayers at his mother's side, this was the first time he truly realized what it meant to pray. The remembrance of this experience gave him confidence and faith throughout his life.
In Their Own Words
“The first instance that I remember when I received a direct answer to prayer was upon an occasion when I had had a quarrel with my sister and whether from being punished for it or from sorrow, went to bed with my heart filled with grief and trouble and lay sobbing without being able to control myself. I got up and kneeling down by the bedside asked the Lord to let me go to sleep immediately, a spirit of calmness and quietude entered my heart; and I lay down in comfort. Of course, I had been taught the Lord’s prayer and other children’s prayers at my mother’s side but this is the first time I realized what it meant to pray.”
— Benjamin Ashby, Autobiography
Sources & References
Benjamin Ashby, Autobiography (1828-1847), Photocopy of holograph, HBLL | Full text: http://earlymormonism.com/benjamin-ashby-1828-1907/ Full first-person account: Benjamin Ashby, Doctrine and Covenants Central https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/history/benjamin-ashby
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