Our LDS Life

I was speaking to a friend today. Like so many wonderful Christian women of various faiths that I’ve come to know, she is a spiritual giant from whom I’ve learned so much. Personally, I think this is one thing we Latter-day Saints could benefit more from — getting to know Christians of other faiths and really appreciating their tenacious and child-like faith. (But don’t get me on my soapbox).

Anyway, she was talking about prayer. She had the feeling that she was limiting herself in her prayers — that perhaps God had more power to display in her life if only she prayed a little differently. I immediately thought of the definition of prayer in the Bible dictionary:

“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” (Prayer, Bible Dictionary, p 753).

I believe that God has blessings literally hanging over our heads that he would love to give us, but we think too small and we ask too little!

Back to my friend … she wanted to know if it’s okay to pray for inanimate objects (such as buildings that have witnessed violent or tragic events) or perhaps for her own body if it was functioning improperly. “Of course!” I said. She remarked that some people would find it far-fetched to pray that buildings receive relief from the atrocities they’ve witnessed. But it reminded me of what my mother always taught me … that everything has a spirit … even the rocks. In particular, we as Latter-day Saints have clear evidence that the earth has a spirit and actually mourns!

In Moses 7, Enoch prayed for the earth because it was groaning under the weight of iniquity played out upon its surface. Seeing what would transpire leading up to the flood, Enoch wept over his people.

“And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?

And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah? And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying: I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.

And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah; And he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand” (See Moses 7:44-52).

Enoch prayed for the earth (what we would consider an inanimate object) that it would be relieved of its suffering. It clearly was pained by the violence and iniquity wrought out upon its surface. What’s more, God heard and answered Enoch’s prayer!

Further, Amulek taught the people to expand their prayers:

“Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith” (Alma 34:17-28).

Pray over everything! Nothing appears to be off limits, given it’s done in humility and love! What’s more, we should assist in making our prayers a reality. As James said, what good is it to pray “be ye warmed and filled” and not give to the suffering the things they need (James 2:16)?

Finally, my friend wanted to know if she could pray for people who have died without knowledge of Jesus Christ. She quoted the passage in Peter where Christ went and taught the spirits in prison. If they could be taught and rescued then, why not now? she asked. Could she pray that Christ’s voice would echo through the halls of hell and still rescue more souls? Naturally, she got my attention with that one and a wonderful discussion resulted.

I live for days like today when I stumble upon a diamond — someone who’s really thinking and asking questions — someone who genuinely cares about people and who can’t even bear that rock walls in old prisons should suffer from the atrocities they’ve seen. Whatever her path, God can work miracles with a heart like that.

Do you ever like to just thumb through your scriptures and read the verses you’ve marked in the past? I love doing that every now and then. These are a few I’ve marked in Mosiah 27 -29 for example. As I’ve read through these, I see some wonderful truths about societies and their governments. King Mosiah is speaking here to his people. He’s been a righteous king but at this point in the Nephite history, Mosiah suggests they abandon their king-ruled society for a representative republic. It’s a republic because it’s ruled by law and it’s representative because it allows for elected officials. In essence, it’s a similar form of government to the one the Founding Fathers set up in the United States.

Mosiah starts off in chapter 27 by suggesting how they should treat one another as a society:

“That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.” Mosiah 27:4

He also makes it clear that this society will flourish best when the people have Christ in their hearts:

“And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters: And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” Mosiah 27:25-26

Then, as he sets up judges, he concedes that it would be ideal if all their leaders were godly men because he says:

“Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just.” Mosiah 29:12

Next he explains to them why they should no longer have a king and why this representative republic is better than a monarchy:

“And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood. For behold he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God; and he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whoseoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he sends his armies against them to war; and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness” (Mosiah 29:21-23).

“Therefore choose you by the voice of the people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord” (Mosiah 29:25).

The laws they were given, by the way, were the 10 commandments. Having given his people a representative republic with its great virtues, he warns them of the primary weakness of this form of government — the people themselves:

“And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgements of God will come upon you; yea then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he hath hitherto visited this land. (Mosiah 29:27)

“But I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land.”

We can learn a lot from Mosiah about the proper role of government and why it is so critical that we have a righteous society if we want to maintain a stable representative republic like we have (had?) in the U.S. If you’re interested in learning more about the proper role of government and the constitution, I recommend reading the US Constitution along with the Book of Mormon.

I’m sure you’ve had this happen to you … where you read a passage of scripture for the umpteenth time and it strikes you as it never has before. That happened to me Sunday in one of our classes. The teacher had us read Moses 5:8, “Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.” Then she asked, “how do you do everything in the name of the Son?”  She was teaching a group of young women and so she asked, “How do you do your homework in the name of the Son? How do you interact with your peers in the name of the Son?”

Which made me ask myself, “How do I build web sites in the name of the Son? Or promote experts in the name of the Son? Or wash dishes or do laundry in His name?” It’s something I’m pondering this week. Perhaps some of it goes back to the sacrament prayer, “that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.”

Is it a matter of remembering Him as we go throughout our day and our work? Does remembering Him as we do these things change the way we do them? Do we do them with greater excellence when we remember Him and thus have His Spirit to enhance everything we do?

Do we shine a little brighter, stand a little taller because He’s there in all we do? What do you think? What does it mean to “do all that thou doest in the name of the Son?”

There’s a common misconception that Latter-day Saints believe we have to “work our way to heaven.” Of course this isn’t true. Who on the planet would ever live perfect enough to “work their way to heaven?” The only person I know who lived a perfect life was Jesus Christ. All of us need grace to bridge the gap between our efforts and what God requires. I think Michaelangelo’s “Hand of God” would be the most accurate depiction of the LDS belief in Faith, Works and Grace.

We reach toward His reaching. We do what we know to do, repent as we go along, strive to follow Him more faithfully, and leave the rest to the atonement of Jesus Christ. I think the miscommunication about faith, works and grace between Latter-day Saints and other Christians boils down to the definition of the word “faith.” If faith means simply “having a belief in something” but not necessarily acting upon it, then Latter-day Saints would say you need more than faith. But Latter-day Saints use faith as an action word. True faith in Jesus Christ leads you to take action. What good is believing that a seed will grow if you never take action to plant it in the ground? Held in your hand forever, you’ll never taste the fruit. True faith makes you put that seed in the ground, and patiently hope long enough to enjoy the harvest.

I like the way Ether 12:3-4 puts it::

“…by faith all things are fulfilled — wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, making an achor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”

The action-oriented faith is clear in this passage. Faith makes you hope, and hope anchors your soul and makes you sure, steadfast, and always abounding in good works. This, naturally, brings glory to God. True faith changes your life. It transforms you into someone better. That is because when you humble yourself enough to act in faith on what God asks you to do, you activate His grace in your behalf. This is when amazing things happen and miracles occur.

As Moroni said, “I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”

If you want to pass the trial of your faith, you’ll take action upon commandments and spiritual impressions. As you step into the darkness, Christ’s grace is activated on your behalf. It doesn’t matter how untalented, weak or incapable you may be, with God all things are possible.

“And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble: and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me: for if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).

Here’s some more of my favorite quotes from the Book of Mormon. They come from Jacob through Mosiah 26:

“Our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream.” Jacob 7:26

“Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.” Enos 1:15

“I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.” Enos 1:27

“There is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord: and that which is evil cometh from the devil.” Omni 1:25

“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17

“Ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are.” Mosiah 2:34

“Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God, for behold they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual…” Mosiah 2:41

“And moreover, I say unto you that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” Mosiah 3:17

“Ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another and serve the devil, who is the master of sin…” Mosiah 4:14

“The Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” Mosiah 5:2

“How knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” Mosiah 5:13

“He is the light and the life of the world: yeah, a light that is endless that can never be darkened; yea and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.” Mosiah 16:9

“Stand fast in the liberty wherewith ye have been made free.” Mosiah 23:13

“I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs.” Mosiah 24:14

Do any of these strike a chord with you? Do you have some favorite scriptures you’d like to share?

This weekend I’ve been thinking a lot about the one-liners from scriptures that have stuck with me over the years — the ones that have made an impact on my life and come to mind when I need them. Over the next few days I’ll be posting some of my favorites. Here’s a few to start. These are all from the first 2 books of the Book of Mormon:

“I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he shall provide a way for them to accomplish the thing he hath commanded.” 1 Nephi 3:7

“And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.” - 1 Nephi 16:29

“The guilty take the truth to be hard for it cutteth them to the very center.” - 1 Nephi 16:2

“If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them.” 1 Nephi 17:50

“I did liken all scripture unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.” 1 Nephi 19:23

“I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” 2 Nephi 1:15

“For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things… all things must needs be a compound in one.” 2 Nephi 2:11

“Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy.” 2 Nephi 2:25

“For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.” 2 Nephi 4:15

“Awake my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.” 2 Nephi 4:28

“O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.” 2 Nephi 4:30

“Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh, Yea my God will give me, if I ask not amiss.” 2 Nephi 4:35

“Shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast: come unto the God who is the rock of your salvation.” 2 Nephi 9:45

“Do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy.” 2 Nephi 9:51

“And the Messiah cometh that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.” 2 Nephi 13:26

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” 2 Nephi 25:26

“Feast upon the words of Christ for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” 2 Nephi 32:3

“I glory in plainness: I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.” 2 Nephi 33:6

What about you, What are some of your favorites from 1st and 2nd Nephi? Or for those who aren’t LDS, your favorite one-liners from the Bible?