Tag: prayer

‘Did you think to Pray?’

Did you think to Pray?

How would you feel if  . . .

Your children asked three times for three important things. 

You gave them the important things.

After that, your children forgot to talk to you for four years!

That’s what happened to the Lord and his children in the book of Ether.

The Lord answered the brother of Jared’s prayers to 

  1. keep the language of Jared and his brother and their families the same (Ether 1:35)
  2. keep the language of their friends and families the same (Ether 1:36-37), and 
  3. give them directions to get away from danger and find a choice land to live. (Ether 1:38-43).

“. . . it came to pass that the Lord did bring Jared and his brethren forth even to that great sea which divideth the lands. And as they came to the sea they pitched their tents; and they called the name of the place Moriancumer; and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years.

And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land choice above all other lands.” (Ether 2:13-15)

‘Did You Think to Pray?’ Hymn # 140

‘Highly favored of the Lord’

Whenever I read the book of Ether, I ask myself this question:

Why did Jared ask his brother to pray for special blessings from the Lord instead of praying to the Lord himself?

Is it because Jared’s brother was ‘a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord?’ Maybe Jared was a small person who thought the Lord gave better blessings to those who are ‘large and mighty.’ (Ether 1:34)

No way!

Maybe Jared was just shy about praying and talking to the Lord. Well, some people are shy about talking to the Lord. They might not know talking to the Lord is like talking to your best friend because the Lord IS your best friend!

The answer to my question doesn’t really matter. 

What matters is that Jared started out with faith in the Lord and good ideas. He asked his brother to pray for certain blessings that would help their families and friends to survive.

Jared and his brother were like a team. They counted on each other to be strong in their own talents, and the Lord blessed them with answers.

Jared’s faith and ideas, his brother’s prayers and the Lord’s answers were the recipe for Jared, his brother, their families and friends to travel to a ‘choice land.’

The book of Ether tells stories of their adventures thousands of years ago.

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Ether 1:33-43

What kind of adventures will you have with faith, good ideas and prayer?

Can members of your family use their special talents to help?

The Lord answers my prayers

After the brother of Jared prayed, the Lord let Jared’s family and friends keep the same language. Jared didn’t know what to do next, so he asked his brother to pray again.

The brother of Jared prayed again and asked the Lord if they should stay near Jerusalem or find a new place. He asked the Lord to carry them ‘into a land which is choice above all the earth.’

The Lord heard the brother of Jared’s prayer and told Jared to gather flocks, seeds, their families and friends and meet Him in a northern valley. The Lord said, ‘I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.’

The Lord said they would be blessed with a great nation in the choice land because they prayed.

I am a child of God. The Lord wants to answer my prayers, and He will.

How many times can children of God pray to the Lord for help?

When God’s children pray, do they always get what they want?

Ether 1:38-43

Prayer helps us stick together.

Prayer Helps Us Stick Together 

Over 2,000 years before Jesus was born, everyone spoke the same language. The families of Noah who were saved from the flood had turned against the Lord and were trying to build a tower up to heaven. They called it the Tower of Babel. 

The Lord was angry with his people. He decided to mix up their languages and scatter them ‘upon all the face of the earth.’

Jared and his brother had stayed true to the Lord and his commandments. Jared asked his brother to pray to the Lord and ask if the language of their families could stay the same so they could understand each other.

So the brother of Jared prayed, and the Lord said ‘Yes.’ 

Jared asked his brother to pray to the Lord again and ask if the language of their friends and their families could stay the same, too.

So the brother of Jared prayed, and the Lord said ‘Yes.’

Jared asked his brother to pray to the Lord one more time and ask if the Lord might ‘carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth?’

So the brother of Jared prayed, and the Lord told the brother of Jared what their families and friends needed to do.

Do you ever ask someone in your family to pray for something?

Do you ever pray with your family?

Do you ever wonder how many times to pray?

‘ . the Lord did hear the brother of Jared, and had compassion upon him.’ Ether 1:40