Let me introduce you to the “after effect,” which is the expansion of the particle principle. This is a principle that shows when we involve Christ in our lives, we see significant results. The after effect reminds us when we do our part, Christ will intervene. It emphasizes the truth of Nephi’s strong words when he said, “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23, emphasis added).

When our spark of desire is activated to action, there are great results as they are
magnified by a loving God. Here are four verses that effectively illustrate the after effect: Nephi said, “And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land” (1 Nephi 18:21-22, emphasis added).

Nephi’s words can be likened unto the storms of life that we will inevitably encounter. He reminds us that when we take action and pray, the Lord will calm the storms. Nephi reminds us that it is after prayer that life-changing experiences occur. Miracles happen, inspiration comes, hearts are touched, lives change— all after the
wonderful blessing of prayer. The principle is that when we do our part, God is anxiously waiting to jump in and do the other 99.9%. He fills in the gaps, He does his part, He completes the task, and He covers a multitude of sins after we do all we can do.

When Lehi had his vision of the tree of life, he shared this insight during his dream, “And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field” (1 Nephi 8:8-9, emphasis added). It is remarkable to think that if Lehi had not prayed, he may never have received that priceless dream. It was the “after effect” that brought Lehi from darkness. This is a reminder of the great responsibility we have to take some action to receive an abundance of God’s blessings.

Enos only had room for one chapter to share everything he wanted to share. He did a remarkable job of leaving us with some powerful principles and experiences. Enos said, “And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the  Lamanites. And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith” (Enos 1:11-12, emphasis added). If the Lord speaks to us after we do our part, won’t He also comfort us, won’t He also send His spirit to be with us, won’t He also reassure us we are His son or daughter? He will.