What does this chapter teach me about God's relationship with His children?
What does this chapter teach me about my Savior?
How can I use the principles and examples from this chapter to improve my own relationship with the Savior and my Heavenly Father?
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO PONDER
What do you notice about Jared's attitude in verse 38? Do you have any situations in your own life in which you might apply such an approach?
Do you see any patterns in this chapter? What are they and what do they teach us about our communication with Heavenly Father?
Happy New Year! I have been trying to finish up the New Testament for Gospel Doctrine last year, and now I'm ready to take on the Book of Mormon - my favorite! I am excited to start with the plates of Ether and the Jaredites. This record was so important that Moroni took the time to abridge the writings of Ether and insert his own comments with the rest of the history.
ReplyDeleteThese verses strike me as important in representing the way we can communicate with the Lord: by "crying" unto him. This indicates passion and feeling, and today we often find ourselves in a world that is past feeling. There are a lot of numb people, who don't have the time or energy to care very much about someone or something. I find myself at times just going through the motions, especially during prayer. Prayer is an opportunity to communicate with the Lord. We should be passionate about what we are talking to Him about. He cares so much about what we are going through and wants to help us and bless us. Many blessings await us and await our family and friends, but we have to ask for them. I find it interesting that the Book of Mormon was written for our time and that there is so much in it that is specifically for us. I will try to keep this in mind whenever I read the Book of Mormon this year.
I think this is a very interesting story. I think of Martin Harris and Joseph Smith. Joseph asked the same question 3 times and it turned to be to his detriment. In this story the brother of Jared asks 3 times but each time asks for more. It makes me ponder what is the difference between the two?
ReplyDeleteJoseph Smith asks his question got an answer and didn't like it so kept asking. Not a good thing...
The brother of Jared asks one question gets a great answer. He takes the answer to his family and they like it and they push him to ask for more. This happens two more times for a total of three but it is all good. It makes me think of President Vidmar quoting the bible dictionary which states:
" Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."
So with that assumption, we can assume God already wanted to give the brother of Jared those things but they were conditional on asking.
I guess that goes back to being in tune. We have to know what to ask for. The blessings are ready but we have to ask. WOW!
I love Jared's attitude in verse 38. These people have just lost their homes, their livelihood, their way of life, and anything else familiar to them, as the confounding of the languages changed things forever. Life will never be the same for them. I am so impressed that Jared not only asks his brother to ask the Lord what they are to do with the intent to obey, but that he has the faith to recognize that our loving Heavenly Father will most likely use this trial to bless them beyond measure.
ReplyDelete"And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance." There is so much to learn from this approach. We know Heavenly Father loves us and will always push us toward the choicest blessings he has prepared for us. Thus, every horrific trial we experience, every sorrow, every chastisement, if we endure it well with faith, will lead us to our personal inheritance from our Creator. Without the loss of their homeland, these people could never have experienced the more choice blessing of the promise land. Sometimes we need to lose something in order to receive the better part. Sometimes it takes a journey into an unknown wilderness and across a foreboding sea to arrive where the Lord can best bless us. This motivates me to look at every trial as an opportunity for Heavenly Father's choicest blessings ... "Who knoweth but the Lord will carry ME forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? ...Let ME be faithful..." Even if my trials serve simply to carry out the slow process of chipping away at my heart and refining me for the kingdom ... That's the greatest blessing anyone can hope for!
I love reading verse 38 "…and who knoweth but the Lord will carry (love the word carry) us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance." Don’t we want to receive a special place for our inheritance? Don’t we all want to be faithful enough to inherit the choicest gift we have been given? The gift of eternal life? I love the word “faithful”. I grew up in a home where one of the feelings that was prevalent was to always be faithful. I know I have talked about one of my relatives, Abraham Hunsaker and his journal before, but his life has influenced mine. The last line in his obituary simply said “He died as he had lived, firm as a rock in the faith.” I read a talk recently that said that one of the hallmarks of a life well lived, a life worthy to return to God’s presence is to be “valiant in the testimony of Jesus” (D&C 76:79) and to be “valiant in the testimony of Jesus” is to be faithful. We know that the first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith may be viewed as faithfulness in the face of uncertainty. It is following the Lord, going forward without knowing the outcome. Following the Lord and being faithful to the end are the qualities most linked to eternal life. I don’t want to sound morbid – but I have always wanted my life to be viewed as always being faithful – I want it said of me, “Well done thou good and faithful servant….” I look at the wonderful and amazing life of Paul and how he summed up his life merely by saying that he was faithful. “I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7
ReplyDeleteLike the Jaredites and Paul, we can be faithful. We can fight the good fight and stay the course. I loved Becca's thoughts about our challenges... We can fight them one at a time, one day at a time, one little step at a time. We can keep going, come what may….Even when we think we can’t, we can.