anwers to prayers

sometimes i just get so frustrated with myself. i know that Heavenly Father is trying to give me answers to my most fervent prayers but i'm too blinded or stubborn or distracted or something else to see/feel/hear them. how do you receive answers to prayers? how do you find the Lords will for you?
tonight i was reading alma 32. its a chapter all about faith and how to obtain faith. tonight i found that it is also a chapter on how to recognize and receive answers to prayers. think of it this way....

so, like me, most of us want signs (vs. 37) we want the path laid out before us all the time. we want our path shown to us complete with every rock and bump along the way before we actually will step foot on it. we want Heavenly Father to hit us over the head and say, "here's your answer dummy." wouldnt that be nice. but as it says in vs. 18 - that isnt how the Lord works. he never has and he never will. the purpose of life is to find the answers and then be willing to take a step into the dark (relying on our faith and trust in God) and move forward. that is our purpose in life. part of "the test" if you will. so just to add to the mix, two general conferences ago (as in october 2009) Elder Richard G Scott gave a fabulous talk (to which i'm sure i will refer many times in this post) and he said, "Our Father expects you to learn how to obtain that divine help by exercising faith in Him and His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Were you to receive inspired guidance just for the asking, you would become weak and ever more dependent on Them. They know that essential personal growth will come as you struggle to learn how to be led by the Spirit." (Full talk here)
we know that faith is not to have a perfect knowledge (vs. 21). sometimes we dont know exactly what they Lord wants us to do. we dont have a perfect knowledge of it but we are required to move forward (for now) with what we feel to be right. and then in verse 22 remember that God is merciful and He really does want us to be successful and He is on our side.

ok here is my favorite part, vs. 26 "ye cannot know of a surety at first, unto perfection..." but we have to put our faith to action and to work and experiment upon what we believe to be right and then it will either shrivel up and die (i assume thats a stupor of thought and therefore, the wrong decision) or it will grow and blossom and you'll get great fruit and blessings and be happy and then you'll know it was the right decision.

"And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet....and ye shall feast upon the fruit even until you are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
"Then, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you."

"By careful practice, through the application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that come, you will gain spiritual guidance. I bear witness that the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, can speak to your mind and heart. Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual dictation. I bear solemn witness that as you pray with all the fervor of your soul with humility and gratitude, you can learn to be consistently guided by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of your life. I have confirmed the truthfulness of that principle in the crucible of my own life. I testify that you can personally learn to master the principles of being guided by the Spirit. That way, the Savior can guide you to resolve challenges of life and enjoy great peace and happiness." Elder Scottgood luck on all your quests to find answers. and wish me luck on mine.