More like the Brother of Jared

         This week in my readings of the Book of Mormon I was more focused on an essay that I had to write for my Book of Mormon class. I chose to write on the brother of Jared and his experience with the Lord on the mountain. That story for some reason has always been one of my favorites and as I have examined and studied this passage of scripture more I have come to understand a pattern of prayer.

A lot of the time we have a problem and we go to the Lord with that problem, which is good, but the Lord wants to know our problems and he wants to help us. The brother of Jared goes to the Lord with two problems they're trying to cross the sea and the boats don't have light nor do they have and airway to breathe. So the brother of Jared goes to the Lord and ask the Lord what he should do. The Lord tells him to cut a hole on the top of the dish-shaped boats - one that can be removed like a like a plug and he will provide a way for the air to come in through that plug. The brother of Jared is grateful and says to the Lord but what about our light problem, we can't travel for such a long time in darkness. But the Lord doesn't give him a direct response and I always thought it was because, and this is true this hasn't changed, but I always thought it was because the Lord wanted us to act on his agency. Now the Lord does want us to act to find things out for ourselves but something that I have been lacking in doing lately, and this is why this passage of Scripture struck me, in this pattern of prayer because I have gone to the Lord telling him hear my problems, fix them and that's not how the Lord works. I thought that this pattern of prayer was just for answers to questions that weren't necessarily problems, just wonderings or thoughts.

I was reading and also listen to a conference talk that mentions the brother of Jared in it and I realized that I need to go to the Lord not only with my problems but with potential solutions to my problems because these issues that I'm having or concerns about my life are happening because I need to learn something from them. If I am going to Heavenly Father and saying “fix them for me” I'm not going to learn anything and I'm not using my agency. If I'm not doing that then what's the point? I am just going to sit on my couch and do nothing and avoid problems and not progress.

 We need to not only tell the Lord our problems because he's a great listener and it's very comforting to tell Him your problems but if we wanted it answers to those problems we have to come up with possible solutions to go to the Lord for guidance and then act upon the guidance. That's what brother of Jared did: he went to the Lord with a problem and with a solution. Knowing that the Lord would be able to help him he went with a solution in mind and because of the great faith that the brother of Jared had he was able to see Jesus Christ in actuality. I know that as we go to the Lord in faith, through prayer, asking for guidance and for studied out solutions to our problems we will be able to learn, grow, progress, and see the hand of God in our lives more clearly.

Love, 

Lexi