The Brother of Jared

The Brother of Jared was a great example of following the Lord.  Of course he had his struggles, but he worked through them just as we all must.

After leaving the Tower of Babel, the Brother of Jared and his family were led to the place Moriancumer, by the sea.  Four years passed and the Lord chastened him for three hours because he "remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord."  He repented and then was commanded to build eight barges so they could reach the promised land.  The Brother of Jared did what he was asked to do and then was asked to make holes in the tops and bottoms of all the barges.

"And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded."

He then enquired of the Lord how they would have light on their journey.  The Lord asked him to come up with a way and he got to work making 16 smooth and clear stones for the Lord to touch.  He went up to Mount Sherem where the Lord touched the stones with His finger.  The Lord then said:

"Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger."

The Brother of Jared had such a great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he was able to see the antemortal Messiah.  He could not be kept from within the veil and it was then shown unto him all of the inhabitants of the earth.

"And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth."

I believe that it was because of the Brother of Jared's willingness to serve and obey the Lord that he was able to see all of the things he did. If we are faithful with the things that we have been entrusted with we will be blessed with more opportunities.  The Lord then waits to see what we do with those things and blesses us some more.  Eventually, if we are faithful, we will receive all that the Father has and inherit a fullness of joy.  May we all continue and progress on our journey to become like our Heavenly Father.

"Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ... In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."  Ether 2-3

Answers to Prayer

Today I was reading in the Book of Mormon about how our prayers can be answered.  Alma has a great explanation of how not only our prayers can be answered, but our questions as well. 
Alma 5:45-48
"...Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me."

I underlined several things that stood out to me, one of them being the question, how do we know if our prayers are being answered.  Alma gives the answer in the next verse saying that it is through the Holy Ghost, fasting, praying, and the spirit of revelation.

He then goes on to say that it has been revealed to him that the words that their fathers had spoken were true according to the spirit of prophecy as well as by the Spirit of God or Holy Ghost.   After that he concludes by bearing his powerful testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement:

"I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name."

I know that these scriptures are true and I know that we can all know they are true by praying about them.  Receiving answers to our prayers takes effort and the Lord recognizes and blesses our efforts.  I know that prayers are answered, because mine have been.  I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

BD:Prayer

"Did you think to Pray"

Be Prepared

Almost weekly it seems, we learn of a new disaster occurring somewhere in the world. But disasters can also happen privately within the walls of our homes. Calamities such as the loss of a job, an overwhelming debt, a serious injury, a home mortgage we can no longer afford to pay, and so forth. We believe in being as prepared as possible for such challenges. For example, we are advised to have an adequate supply of food, drinking water and financial reserves.  

source: mormon.org

In addition to being prepared physically, we should also be prepared spiritually.  There have been a number of natural disasters lately and a lot of people have been thinking about how they can be prepared.  "What we will need in our day of testing is a spiritual preparation. It is to have developed faith in Jesus Christ so powerful that we can pass the test of life upon which everything for us in eternity depends."

"The great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage. And the tragedy of life is to fail in that test and so fail to qualify to return in glory to our heavenly home."  (October 2005 General Conference)

                                        -Henry B. Eyering

How can I be prepared?

1. Develop Faith in Jesus Christ
2. Grow closer to Heavenly Father through prayer
3. Have Charity and serve others
4. Study God's word

My Pioneer Heritage (part 2)

James Johnson and his wife Marie Larsen

Family tradition has it that during their trek across the plains, James who was lame, would leave camp early and Mary would break camp and travel with the company, which would pass James about noon.  At the end of the day's journey, Mary would make camp and prepare for the night.  James would come into camp after dark.

One afternoon after the company had passed James, they heard a loud thundering noise and saw a huge dust cloud back over the trail they had traversed earlier.  It was a buffalo stampede, and they were so sure that James had been caught in it that several men with shovels went back to bury him.  They were surprised to see him walking along the trail.  As they approached him, he asked them where they were going.  They said they had come out to find and bury him.  

When they got to camp, everyone was excited to hear how he had escaped the stampede.  When asked about it, he said "yes" he had heard the rumble like a mighty ocean wave.  He thought of all the hardships he had suffered and blessings he had received in coming this far and dropped to his knees in prayer.  As the wave of buffalo reached him, they split and flowed around him as if a huge rock barred their way.  As they passed, the split closed, and they thundered on their way, leaving him saying a prayer of thanksgiving.

 The power of prayer is real.  Without it, I wouldn't even be here today.  Our loving Heavenly Father definitely answers our prayers and wants the best for us.  May we all pray for strength in these difficult times.  

If God Should Speak

A Skit on the Lord's Prayer

Prayer: Our Father which art in heaven,
God: Yes?
Prayer: Don't interrupt me. I'm praying
God: But you called me
Prayer: Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father which art in heaven,
God: There you did it again
Prayer: Did what?"
God: Called me. You said, "Our Father which art in heaven." Here I am. What's on your mind?
Prayer: But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like getting a duty done."
God: All right. Go on.
Prayer: Hallowed be Thy name.
God: Hold it. What do you mean by that?
Prayer: "By what?"
God: By "Hallowed be Thy name?"
Prayer: It means. It means.... Good grief, I don't know what it means. How should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?"
God: It means honored, holy, wonderful.
Prayer: Hey that makes sense. I never thought about what hallowed' meant before. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
God: Do you really mean that?
Prayer: Sure, why not?
God: What are you doing about it?
Prayer: Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there."
God: Have I got control of you?
Prayer: Well, I go to church.
God: That isn't what I asked you. What about your temper? You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you spend your money - all on yourself. And what about the kinds of books you read and what you watch on TV?
Prayer: Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as the rest of those people at church."
God: Excuse me. I thought you were praying for my will to be done. If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it. Like you, for example.
Prayer: Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others."
God: So could I.
Prayer: I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I'd really like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free."
God: Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together, you and I. Some victories can be truly won. I'm proud of you.
Prayer: Look, Lord, I need to finish this up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does ... Give us this day our daily bread."
God: You could cut out the bread. It would help you lose weight.
Prayer: "Hey, wait a minute! What is this, 'Criticize ME day?' Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups. Praying is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you know.
God: That's what I'm trying to get across to you. Keep praying. I'm interested in the next part of your prayer.(Pause) Well, go on.
Prayer: I'm scared to."
God: Scared? Of what?
Prayer: I know what you'll say.
God: Try me and see.
Prayer: Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
God: What about Ann?
Prayer: "See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why Lord she's told lies about me, spread stories about my family. She never paid back the money she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!"
God: But your prayer? What about your prayer?
Prayer: "I didn't mean it."
God: Well, at least you're honest. But it's not much fun carrying that load of bitterness inside of you, is it?
Prayer: No. But, I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I got some plans for that neighbor. She'll wish she had never moved into this neighborhood."
God: You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. Think of how unhappy you already are. But, I can change all that.
Prayer: You can? How?
God: Forgive Ann. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and sin will be Ann's problem and not yours. You will have settled your heart.
Prayer: Oh, you're right. You always are. And, more than I want to get revenge against Ann, I want to be right with you. But ... (Pause) ... (Sigh) ... All right. I forgive her. Help her to find the right road in life, Lord. She's bound to be awfully miserable now that I think about it. Anybody who goes around doing the things she does to others has to be out of it. Someway, somehow, show her the right way.
God: There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?
Prayer: "Hmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. I feel pretty great. You know, I don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight tonight for the first time since I can remember. Maybe I won't be so tired from now on because I'm not getting enough rest."
God: You're not through with your prayers. Go on.
Prayer: "Oh, all right. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
God: Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where you can be tempted.
Prayer: "What do you mean by that?"
God: Don't turn the TV on when you know the laundry needs to be done and the house needs to be picked up. Also about the time you spend with your friends, if you can't influence the conversation to positive things, perhaps you should rethink the value of those friendships. Another thing, your neighbors and friends shouldn't be your standard for "keeping up." And please don't use me as an escape hatch.
Prayer: "I don't understand that last part."
God: Sure you do. You've done it a lot of times. You get caught in a bad situation. You get in trouble and then you come running to me: "Lord, help me out of this mess, and I promise you I'll never do it again." You remember some of those bargains you tried to make with me?
Prayer: Yes, and I'm ashamed, Lord, I really am.
God: Which bargain are you remembering?
Prayer: Well, there was the night that my husband was gone and the children and I were home alone. The wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof would go any minute and tornado warnings were out. I remember saying, 'Oh God, if you spare us, I'll never skip my devotions again."
God: I protected you, but you didn't keep your promise, did you?
Prayer: "I'm sorry, Lord I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked. I didn't expect anything to happen like this."
God: Go ahead and finish your prayer.
Prayer: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
God: Do you know what would bring me glory? What would really make me happy?
Prayer: "No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you. I can see what a mess I've made of my life. And I can see how great it would be to really be one of your followers."
God: You just answered the question.
Prayer: I did?"
God: Yes. The thing that would bring me glory is to have people like you truly love me. And I see that happening between us. Now that some of these old sins are exposed and out of the way, there is no telling what we can do together.
Prayer: Lord, let's see what we can make of me, OK?"
God: Yes, let's see.

Let us all pray from the heart and not just simply go through the motions.  We must genuinely open or hearts and minds to our Father in Heaven in prayer to build our relationship with him.