FAITH

This wasn't originally intended as another Christmas post, but I think it is. J Christmas is all about FAITH and believing! I love how scripture study is always exactly what I need.....the answers and peace, that sometimes I don't even know I'm searching for, are right there. I love the book of Ether. What an amazing part of the Book of Mormon! What a blessing to know of these people and their trials and their faith. Can you imagine how Moroni must have felt writing this? He just witnessed the entire destruction of his civilization and was all alone, and here he is writing about how it happened to the Jaredites before! 

Amidst the wickedness and heartache, this book is full of AMAZING faith, miracles, truth and power. I learned so much studying the first few chapters this week and am encouraged and motivated and inspired. I should have recorded my thoughts earlier, but I don't think I can completely describe the truth and joy I felt studying these chapters:

·        It's interesting to see Jared's faith in his brother. I believe that there is power in uniting our prayers and faith together and it may have been that the brother of Jared was the patriarch of the family and the one to lead out here, but I wonder, maybe unfairly, if Jared maybe didn't have the same faith in his own prayers. Maybe I wonder because I've felt that before and thought that maybe someone else's prayer might be more effective than mine. But, doesn't a loving Heavenly Father hear and answer all of His children's' prayers? I think we each have the individual responsibility to develop our faith and trust in the Lord. 

·        The Lord's compassion for his children who turn to Him and call on Him is beautiful. I think there is so much power in ASKING. Just as Elder Holland has said, "God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe."

·        I'm inspired by the brother of Jared's example of consistently calling on the Lord and following His directions. Prayer is power and we will be chastened for forgetting Him. The Lord may already know what we need, even better than we do in fact, but we must exercise our faith and show humility by consistently turning to Him in prayer, and talking with Him. It's obvious that the brother of Jared converses with the Lord. Reading the end of chapter two it's easy to forget that this conservation is going on between two people that aren’t looking right at each other.

·        The Lord will bless us and direct us and show us how to build boats and make it possible for us to breathe. He will even make the wind blow to the promised land, but he also invites us to work and pray and figure out on our own how to create light and how to proceed. He wants us to grow and learn for ourselves. That's why we're here.

·        I was touched by the brother of Jared's humility as he comes back to the Lord with an idea for creating light in the boats. He very meekly recognizes his place and his dependence on the Lord, thanking Him for the mercies he has shown them and then he asks in great faith, knowing that the Lord has all power to do anything, for the Lord to touch rocks and make them light. Then the Lord lovingly responds by touching the rocks and the brother of Jared sees His finger because of his great faith. Then still in great faith and humility he asks the Lord to show Himself to him, which He does. The Lord ministers to him as he had to the Nephites. Now the brother of Jared KNOWS, he has faith no longer. He can't be kept within the veil. He was to write and treasure these things up and not share them with the world until He came.

There is so much to learn from this experience, but I think most importantly for me this time I was reading was the importance of humility, faith, prayer, action, asking, believing, working, knowing and loving the Savior. This is what it's all about! He lives! He loves us! He blesses us! He knows us! We need to know Him!