Willard Richards's recovery of health through fasting and prayer
Published October 4, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
On September 18, 1837, Willard Richards fasted and prayed, asking the Lord to restore his health, give him wisdom, and reveal his will regarding the people of Bedford. The Lord answered by restoring him to perfect health.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 27, No. 9, 4 March 1865, p. 134):
Sept. 18.—Fasted and prayed, that the Lord would restore my health, give me wisdom, and reveal his will concerning the people of Bedford; and the Lord answered my prayer, and restored me to perfect health.
In Their Own Words
“18.—Kept this day of fasting; and God restored me to perfect health, gave me wisdom and his Spirit to address the people as I requested, and he would make known to me his mind and will about the people of Bedford. I felt refreshed by his Spirit. — Millennial Star 27:9”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 4 March 1865 (Vol. 27, No. 9). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1865-03-04_27_9 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 27, No. 9, 4 March 1865, p. 134 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1865-03-04_27_9
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