LIBERTY, MO. — Evan Dantzscher, a 22-year-old attending college in Kansas City, Missouri, has learned that problems and trials are a universal experience, but he’s also discovered the one way to overcome life’s difficulties is to kneel down and pray.
“I know that God speaks to His children. Every time we ask for help, He's listening. He loves His children,” Evan said. “When we face those times of hard trials, all we have to do is ask.”
The most common problems young adults need answers to have to do with figuring out life, like what career they want or who to date, Evan said. “A lot of people have a lot of problems with finding their purpose in life, like who they are and where they want to go with their lives.”
The answers to these questions aren’t one-size-fits-all. Instead, Evan says it’s important to listen to God to find personalized revelation. “You just have to go after it and find out what's best for me, what's best for my life and how to work it all out,” he said.
The best way to do that, he says, is prayer.
“In my times of difficulty, I've gone to my Heavenly Father and He's answered my soul questions that I've had. I know God is there for me when I need him. And it's such a blessing to have,” Evan said. “Even when I don't have tremendous pains and difficulties, I know He's there and He's helping me day to day through classwork and work and anything that is in my path.”
However, at times, prayer isn’t the most instinctive thing. Like others, Evan has a lot of distractions that can pull him away from God if he’s not careful.
“The hardest part is finding the time, because we always get caught up in the world; we always have work, school, friends, family, any athletic event,” he said. “We really struggle to find time to give to God.”
When he’s made time for God despite other responsibilities vying for his attention, Evan has found that the effort is well worth his time. Recently, Evan had three tests on one day in addition to working a lot of hours and doing homework.
“The night before I just prayed, that was all I could do. I could do nothing more. I was exhausted,” he said.
The next morning, he woke up at 5 a.m. to go to work, but when he tried to punch in, the system rejected his punch. Evan eventually figured out he wasn’t actually scheduled to work that morning. “God answered my prayer by making me think I had to go to work, but in that time I could get up and go study for that class. And it was really a testimony builder for me,” he said.
Experiences like these, where an answer comes unexpectedly, are quite common, according to Evan. “I think God does that for us sometimes so that we can trust Him,” he said. “God answers in His time, not your time. And in the last minute that you least expect it at all, it'll happen and God will answer you.”
He says even if people slip up or have doubts, it’s still important to pray to God and find the clarifying peace that those prayers can bring.
“I do feel a connection with God. It's definitely something that's very personal and sacred for me,” he said. “That is a great blessing that I have in my life, to know who God is. And every time I'm struggling, I can have that resource of having a Heavenly Father who's always there for me, who's willing to give me a piece of him.”