From Gerald N. Lund:
God, even in His infinite power and knowledge, will not force the human heart. This principle often brings sorrow and suffering into the world because many choose to do evil, and that almost always affects others.
Sometimes to get an answer to our prayers, what we pray for would require the Lord to force another person to do something against his or her will. He will not do that. He may intervene in ways that soften the heart or change the mind, but He will not force or coerce us in any way. We have to remember that life isn’t just about us.
Many faithful, righteous parents have undergone the bitter sorrow of seeing a child turn away from the gospel and fall away “into forbidden paths” (1 Nephi 8:28). The parents may offer years of heart-wrenching prayers. They may remain faithful and true to their covenants. With little or no change in their child, they may wonder if their faith is strong enough.
We must always factor in agency. Considering the heartbreak Lehi and Sariah faced with some of their children, Lehi’s counsel takes on special meaning: “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh . . . And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil” (2 Nephi 2:27). ~Gerald N. Lund, A Year of Powerful Prayer (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), p. 273
