By Cristie Gardner

Working with something usually means partnering with it.

The LAW is created by and aligned with God; therefore, working with the Law means partnering with God.

In 1988, I was pregnant with our eighth child. We had a seven-passenger Volkswagen bus, and I became quite concerned about where this new little one would fit. We had saved $9,000 to buy another vehicle—but no more. With seven kids ranging from two to fifteen, I didn’t have time or means to go from car lot to car lot searching. I had to be efficient.

One morning, I knelt down and, with calm intensity, presented my desire before the Lord. I told Him we needed a new car. It had to have 11 seats and plenty of storage (my husband was a Scoutmaster, and we often brought friends along). It had to be a late model, reliable, under $9,000, and we needed it right away. Then I added, “If it doesn’t matter to Thee, I’d really like it to be gray on the outside with a burgundy interior.”

That afternoon, I picked up the local weekly paper—which I hardly ever did. But my eyes landed on an ad in the classifieds: “1987 Dodge Ram Van, 11 passenger. $8,995.” The ad seemed to leap off the page, bold and clear. I called the dealer. He said it was actually a 15-passenger van missing the back seat, leaving lots of storage space—hence the unusual number of seats. I asked about its condition. He said it had quite a few miles (forgot to ask about low mileage), but since it was relatively new, most were freeway miles. I confirmed the price. Then I asked the color. “Gray,” he said. The interior? “That dark red color, I don’t know what they call it.” “Burgundy?” I asked. “Yeah, that’d describe it.” I told him we’d be by that afternoon to buy it. He was stunned. “You haven’t even test-driven it! You haven’t even seen it!” But no, I knew—as surely as I know anything—that this van was a direct answer to prayer. It served us beautifully for years.

I had stumbled onto something. I didn’t fully understand it then, and I’m still piecing it together, but I know this: GOD OPERATES ACCORDING TO LAW.

I began to realize then—and continue to realize—that as we align ourselves with His laws, we can literally bring about the blessings we desire.

This sparked a quest—a passion—to identify and understand divine laws. Along the way, I found hundreds of hints and teachings: messages from General Conference, articles in the Ensign, manuals, even truths from other faiths that aligned with our own and revealed those laws.

Each law carries a consequent blessing. But blessings don’t always show up the way we expect. One of the most misunderstood blessings is financial prosperity. We might assume paying tithing guarantees abundance, but sometimes God’s way of prospering us is far greater—more lasting, more powerful. (Someday I’ll tell you about our miracle with tithing and family unity.)

Time and again, I’ve learned that when my prayers go unanswered, I’m asking the wrong questions: What law do I need to understand and live more fully? How can I partner with God?

As it says in Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21:
“There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”