Building our Relationship with God

Prayer is one of the most important parts of the gospel plan, which is why Satan tries so hard to make us complacent about saying any prayers, much less meaningful prayers. Without prayer, man would never commune with God, and the work of God could never progress. Satan knows this, and tries his best to turn us away from prayer. If the avenue of prayer were not open, then the prophets would never have talked to God, the scriptures would never have been written, and man would be as the animals. However, God did provide a way for man to talk to him, and he talks back to us. His work moves forward by the hands of faithful men, who counsel with him daily.

Joseph Smith once stated, “It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another.” (Documentary History of the Church.) Without prayer, we cannot converse with God; we have closed the proverbial door on him, and are not inviting him in. If we have closed the door on God, then we cannot know him.

If we do invite God in then we can begin to know him, and know his character, and we can begin to understand our relationship with him, as our Heavenly Father. It is then that prayer becomes the most powerful, as the Bible Dictionary 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.” When we understand this perspective we are able to counsel with the Lord. Note the word “with.” When we counsel with the Lord we make covenants. We are able to “secure for ourselves and others blessings that God is already willing to grant but are made conditional on our asking for them.” (Bible Dictionary) Counseling with the Lord isn’t the same as simply asking for blessings though, it is making promises that you intend to keep, in order for God to bless you, and others.

Lastly, it is important to ask in faith, “nothing wavering.” (James 1:6) Joseph Smith asked in true faith, nothing wavering, which church to join, and he was visited by God the Father, and Jesus Christ, his Son. Though we rarely have such spectacular experiences when we pray in faith, God blesses us nonetheless, and it is important to recognize the answers God gives us. Sometimes the answers take time, or take our conditioning, and understanding, but they come. It is the nature of God to give us our answers in the way we need them, not necessarily in the way we prefer them. If we are faithful and watch, our understanding will be opened, and our faith filled to overflowing.

By Prayer many great things can happen, our understanding can be opened, and the heavens can be opened upon us. If we do not pray, we are left in the darkness, ever wandering, ever lost, ever unaware that God is ready to pour his blessings out upon us.

Love and Indifference

Alma 31:2 "For it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma to know of iniquity among his people; therefore his heart was exceedingly sorrowful because of the separation of the Zoramites from the Nephites."

I noted in these verses how Alma feels about his fellowman, and our contrast (in general) in our day.

In American culture we try to let others find their own happiness. We don't worry whether they find that happiness in sin or righteousness, as long as their happiness doesn't step on our rights, or in some cases, offend us.

If somebody unrelated to us is living wickedly we tend to just plain forget about them. We may make snide remarks, or judge their choices, but within minutes we've moved on without another thought.

In other instances we take great offense. We grow angry, and our hearts become inflamed with indignation. We are so proud of our own righteousness that we make the grave error of playing God by passing judgment upon our brethren.

In contrast, Alma worries over the sins of his brethren, not out of indignation, but out of love. He's concerned that the judgment of God will come down upon them because of their wickedness. He wants them to repent, and not because of some imaginary offense against him.

He also doesn't ignore the problem. He doesn't look upon sin and inequality with a blind eye to what he doesn't want to see. He wants his people to be happy, all of them. He wants them to live righteously for their sake, not his own.

So, the question I pose is how can we use Alma's example in our present day? How can we change our perspective and approach to today's political climate so that we don't look like a bunch of radical haters?

Our God, Our Deliverer

Mosiah 25:16 "And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage, that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them."

Remember that it is the Lord that delivers us from bondage, and once you are delivered from bondage, do not forget that it was the Lord who delivered you. This is true for temporal bondage, as well as spiritual bondage. This isn't to say that we don't have our own part to do. We need not only faith; we need to work. Doing our part to free ourselves from bondage, whether through repentance, making debt payments, finding appropriate representation, etc., is requisite to God doing his part to free us.

The gospel is a gospel of work, of us learning, and growing. We don't grow from being bailed out every single time we're in trouble. If we were we'd all be spoiled rotten brats. Our Heavenly Father will supplement our efforts with his efforts. He will give us peace and help us to find and use the tools he has provided to set us free.

That being said, there are situations that some are not freed from. Some of those are consequences of our own actions, and some are from circumstances beyond our control. Others are the result of tyranny, such as during the holocaust, the Rwandan genocides, or any number of horrible things that happen in our world. In those situations the Lord can provide peace to the heart and mind, and he will punish those tyrants for their sins against the people. Many times the peace the comes for people in those extremes is an end to suffering. I really don't want to go further into that right now. These situations are too painful, and unimaginable for me to ponder too deeply.

For those in other anguish, such as depression, and abuse remember that the Lord is the one who can, and will deliver you. Be sure to do your part, which is using the tools provided us, i.e. medication, therapy, friends, spiritual leaders, legal authority, etc. It may be a hard road, but remain faithful and you will find peace.

Truth and the True Church

Mosiah 4:8 "And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you."

This is an interesting statement, and a bold proclamation, especially in our day. Our nation, the United States tries to be so PC about every belief system, and it has created this pernicious doctrine that everybody is right, and nobody is wrong, and that is the work of Satan. Because, if everybody is right, and every religion is correct, then what does it matter what religion you join. This thought process trivializes religion. Religion becomes a lifestyle choice, dependent on factors that have nothing to do with God. There is no search for truth, because the truth is in front of you, in whatever form you accept it.

This search for truth is what separated Joseph Smith from so many others. While most people were seeking the church they liked the best, or fit with their way of thinking best, Joseph Smith wanted to know the untainted truth, not what he wanted to hear, but what God wanted him to hear.

D&C 93:30 tells us that “all truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it”, this statement means that truth is independent of our beliefs, and knowledge, or lack thereof. Truth is truth, and cannot be changed. The truth does not change, just our understanding about the truth.

Just as Ammon stated, “there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of”, we need to be telling the world that there is no other true church upon the Earth, and no other true doctrine. If every church is right, then every doctrine in every church is correct. If every doctrine in every church is correct, then God is changeable to interpretation. If God is changeable, then he is not God, for God is unchangeable. And if there be no God, then no church is correct, because all churches teach of God in a different way. If no church is correct then we are, as Paul said, “Of all men most miserable.” (1 Cor 15:19)

Earning God's trust

How does one become a prophet, apostle, or get into other "prestigious" callings in the church? I used to think it was because the Lord chose them for whatever characteristics they naturally had, whatever strengths they had, or that they had lots of luck. Recently I’ve learned that the Lord calls those he can trust and the people the Lord trusts have to earn that trust. Lehi and Nephi earned the trust of the Lord by doing as they were commanded, having faith in the Lord, praying diligently and with true intent, and trusting that they were doing the right thing (not murmuring). The funny thing though, is that all of these are basic gospel principles, but are so easy to fail at doing.

Contrast this with the doctrine of foreordination, the doctrine that Heavenly Father determined our callings and ordinations in the pre-mortal life. (Alma 13:3) This is a doctrine I used to struggle with until I gained some additional understanding. Much wrong has been done by men that were "predestined" to sit in a position of power. However, this doctrine is different than that of God just choosing men he wants to rule without them ever presenting of body of work before him. The men he chooses as his prophets were foreordained in the pre-Earth life because of the work they did there, and as spirits proved their worth, and gained the Father's trust. Then when they came to this life they had to continue their good works.

I am sure many were foreordained who never even stepped foot inside a church, which is the beauty and bitterness of Heavenly Father's plan. Many are chosen to do the work, but only a few follow. Just because a man is foreordained doesn't mean that he must follow the path he was foreordained for. On the same token, I imagine that there are many who were not foreordained to any calling in this life, but gained Heavenly Father's trust because of the work they've done in this life.

The point is that our agency allows us to prove ourselves to our Heavenly Father whether we "will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command [us]." (Abr 3:25) Whether or not we proved ourselves in the pre-mortal life, we must still prove ourselves in this life if we are going to do as we were foreordained to do.