Nephi tells us in 2 Nephi 33:2 that many people will harden their hearts against the things which he has written and against the Holy Spirit, "wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught."
And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
It's obvious that Nephi and Paul are not talking about us, but about other people - those wicked who are not church members and who don't love the Lord. But what might it mean to "esteem [things] as things of naught"? Could it be possible that WE might be showing by our actions that we think the things of God are foolishness?
I learned in Education Week that foolishness can mean insignificant or unimportant. Obviously, we don't esteem the teachings of the prophets as foolishness. Or do we?
Our priorities in how we use our time may tell a different tale than our lip service. Things that are unimportant or insignificant would get the least of our time. Obviously our families and our work have to take a lot of our time because they are important and significant. But don't we have a little spare time to do things WE want to do? Is there time to watch TV or surf the net? Do we have time for FaceBook and Pinterest? How much of our time is spent in the scriptures in proportion to other things in our lives? If it's only a few minutes or a few verses, are we showing Heavenly Father that we esteem his words as "things of naught"? As insignificant or unimportant?
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Conversations with Heavenly Father - Understanding the Answers
Learning what to ask for, and how and when to ask our Heavenly Father are important lessons to learn. But learning to understand the answers that we receive is another difficult lesson.
Dee Barrett is the Institute director at the USU Institute and taught at Education Week. The things he taught about prayer have really given me cause for reflection. Using the story of the brother of Jared as an example, he taught about three kinds of answers to prayers. When the brother of Jared was instructed to build barges so that his people could cross the great ocean, he followed instructions and got them built, but came back to the Lord with 3 problems. (Ether 2:19)
Pattern #1 - Behold thou shalt - In answer to "we can't breathe", the Lord instructed the brother of Jared in verse 20 to solve the problem by putting a hole in the top and the bottom and unstopping the hole if they ran out of air. (Brother Barrett mentioned some different theories about how the barges were constructed which would explain how this solution might have worked.) The Lord uses this pattern when we can't find an answer in any other way. He just lays out the solution for us. His inspiration will "occupy [our] mind, and press itself upon [our] feelings . . .(D&C128:1) We might be impressed to do something but not know exactly what. If we're patient and keep listening, the answer will come. Many times the answer will come a bit at a time. When we have followed through on what we have been given, then we should return and report and ask for inspiration for the next step.
Pattern #2 - What will ye that I should do? In Ether 2:22, the brother of Jared returned and reported on his progress with the barge problem. He asked the Lord what to do about the lack of light in the barges. He was willing to do whatever the Lord required, including making the trip in darkness, if that was what was necessary. The Lord responded by asking, "What will ye that I should do . . .?" The Lord explained the parameters of the problem, i.e. no fire, no windows, etc. Then He turned the problem back over to B of J.
This answer is the hardest for us to discern and the hardest to work through, but we should be grateful when this is the answer that comes to us, because it shows the Lord's faith in us. He expects us to use our creativity, to "study it out". Elder Scott said: "What do you do when you have prepared carefully, have prayed fervently, waited a reasonable time for a response, and still do not feel an answer? You may want to express thanks when that occurs, for it is an evidence of His trust." (March 1997) He also said: "When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act." (October 1989)
He's teaching us here that we need to move forward with our best plans, asking for direction as we move. If we're going in the wrong direction, the Lord will prompt us to stop. Here's what Elder Scott had to say about it. "When you are living worthily and your choice is consistent with the Savior’s teachings and you need to act, proceed with trust. As you are sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, one of two things will certainly occur at the appropriate time: either the stupor of thought will come, indicating an improper choice, or the peace or the burning in the bosom will be felt, confirming that your choice was correct. When you are living righteously and are acting with trust, God will not let you proceed too far without a warning impression if you have made the wrong decision." (Ensign May 07)
Elder Packer teaches something similar: "We believe in continuing revelation, not continuous revelation. We are often left to work out problems without the dictation or specific direction of the Spirit. That is part of the experience we must have in mortality. Fortunately, we are never out of our Savior’s sight, and if our judgment leads us to actions beyond the limits of what is permissible and if we are listening to the still, small voice, the Lord will restrain us by the promptings of his Spirit."
Pattern #3 - He will handle it. There are times when the Lord just tells to stand back and watch. In this case, B of J was told that they wouldn't need to steer the barges. "For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come." (Ether 2:24-25) And in D&C 123:17, the Lord says: " . . . stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." The Lord steered the barges. Sometimes in our lives, the Lord steers and we walk in faith.
Dee Barrett is the Institute director at the USU Institute and taught at Education Week. The things he taught about prayer have really given me cause for reflection. Using the story of the brother of Jared as an example, he taught about three kinds of answers to prayers. When the brother of Jared was instructed to build barges so that his people could cross the great ocean, he followed instructions and got them built, but came back to the Lord with 3 problems. (Ether 2:19)
- There is no light
- We can't steer
- We can't breathe.
Pattern #1 - Behold thou shalt - In answer to "we can't breathe", the Lord instructed the brother of Jared in verse 20 to solve the problem by putting a hole in the top and the bottom and unstopping the hole if they ran out of air. (Brother Barrett mentioned some different theories about how the barges were constructed which would explain how this solution might have worked.) The Lord uses this pattern when we can't find an answer in any other way. He just lays out the solution for us. His inspiration will "occupy [our] mind, and press itself upon [our] feelings . . .(D&C128:1) We might be impressed to do something but not know exactly what. If we're patient and keep listening, the answer will come. Many times the answer will come a bit at a time. When we have followed through on what we have been given, then we should return and report and ask for inspiration for the next step.
Pattern #2 - What will ye that I should do? In Ether 2:22, the brother of Jared returned and reported on his progress with the barge problem. He asked the Lord what to do about the lack of light in the barges. He was willing to do whatever the Lord required, including making the trip in darkness, if that was what was necessary. The Lord responded by asking, "What will ye that I should do . . .?" The Lord explained the parameters of the problem, i.e. no fire, no windows, etc. Then He turned the problem back over to B of J.
This answer is the hardest for us to discern and the hardest to work through, but we should be grateful when this is the answer that comes to us, because it shows the Lord's faith in us. He expects us to use our creativity, to "study it out". Elder Scott said: "What do you do when you have prepared carefully, have prayed fervently, waited a reasonable time for a response, and still do not feel an answer? You may want to express thanks when that occurs, for it is an evidence of His trust." (March 1997) He also said: "When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act." (October 1989)
He's teaching us here that we need to move forward with our best plans, asking for direction as we move. If we're going in the wrong direction, the Lord will prompt us to stop. Here's what Elder Scott had to say about it. "When you are living worthily and your choice is consistent with the Savior’s teachings and you need to act, proceed with trust. As you are sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, one of two things will certainly occur at the appropriate time: either the stupor of thought will come, indicating an improper choice, or the peace or the burning in the bosom will be felt, confirming that your choice was correct. When you are living righteously and are acting with trust, God will not let you proceed too far without a warning impression if you have made the wrong decision." (Ensign May 07)
Elder Packer teaches something similar: "We believe in continuing revelation, not continuous revelation. We are often left to work out problems without the dictation or specific direction of the Spirit. That is part of the experience we must have in mortality. Fortunately, we are never out of our Savior’s sight, and if our judgment leads us to actions beyond the limits of what is permissible and if we are listening to the still, small voice, the Lord will restrain us by the promptings of his Spirit."
Pattern #3 - He will handle it. There are times when the Lord just tells to stand back and watch. In this case, B of J was told that they wouldn't need to steer the barges. "For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come." (Ether 2:24-25) And in D&C 123:17, the Lord says: " . . . stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." The Lord steered the barges. Sometimes in our lives, the Lord steers and we walk in faith.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
New Insights Into Prayer - Asking and Seeking
"Prayer" is the word we use to describe the communication with our
Heavenly Father. President Hinckley said, “Your daily conversations with him will bring peace into your hearts and
a joy into your lives that can come from no other source." It truly is a sacred privilege, but I have to confess that
most of my prayers throughout my life have felt less like communication
and more like a soliloquy. Education Week has helped change that,
and I want to share some of the ideas that are helping me to improve my
prayers.
Instructor David Bean, who teaches institute and supervises seminaries in Boston, said that he doesn't start praying until he feels the companionship of the Holy Ghost. This was a new thought for me, although it is something that most people probably know and take for granted. I've always just started praying, and although I had real intent and worthy desires, I seldom felt that anything was really happening. Now I try to remember to wait for a minute or two until I feel the Spirit of the Lord, and then go on with my prayer. Sometimes when I forget and just plow into the prayer, as soon as I remember, I pause and wait for that feeling.
This has made a huge difference in my prayers. I may be using much the same words as before, but the joy of feeling the Spirit has made my prayers such a spiritual feast!
The Bible Dictionary has some wonderful information on prayer, and contains this thought: "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." Brother Bean said that God may have a blessing for you that has your name on it, but He will not grant it to you unless you ask for it. He will not interfere with our agency or the agency of those we're praying for.
We need to be sure we are asking for those things that are the will of the Lord. This we do by finding out through the Savior what His will is. The Bible Dictionary says: We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when his words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent his mind, but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.
When we have invited the Spirit and are seeking to pray for those things He has in store for us, it's OK for us to ask Him what we should ask for. We may ask, "What question should I be asking right now?" This question came from Barry Ewell in his class on Family History, but it can apply to all areas of our lives.
My next post will be about how the Lord answers those prayers.
Instructor David Bean, who teaches institute and supervises seminaries in Boston, said that he doesn't start praying until he feels the companionship of the Holy Ghost. This was a new thought for me, although it is something that most people probably know and take for granted. I've always just started praying, and although I had real intent and worthy desires, I seldom felt that anything was really happening. Now I try to remember to wait for a minute or two until I feel the Spirit of the Lord, and then go on with my prayer. Sometimes when I forget and just plow into the prayer, as soon as I remember, I pause and wait for that feeling.
This has made a huge difference in my prayers. I may be using much the same words as before, but the joy of feeling the Spirit has made my prayers such a spiritual feast!
The Bible Dictionary has some wonderful information on prayer, and contains this thought: "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." Brother Bean said that God may have a blessing for you that has your name on it, but He will not grant it to you unless you ask for it. He will not interfere with our agency or the agency of those we're praying for.
We need to be sure we are asking for those things that are the will of the Lord. This we do by finding out through the Savior what His will is. The Bible Dictionary says: We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when his words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent his mind, but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.
When we have invited the Spirit and are seeking to pray for those things He has in store for us, it's OK for us to ask Him what we should ask for. We may ask, "What question should I be asking right now?" This question came from Barry Ewell in his class on Family History, but it can apply to all areas of our lives.
My next post will be about how the Lord answers those prayers.
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