Lessons on the Book of Mormon 2020
Lesson No. Thirteen
Enos and Joseph Smith and the Doctrine of Prayer
Enos was faithful all his life – I believe that Enos, like Joseph Smith, was a dutiful son and a righteous man. At the end of his life he states: “and I have declared [the truth which is in Christ] in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world” (Enos 1:26). The most significant event of his life, when he received a remission of his sins, is the central point of his book.
Enos and Joseph Smith had similar experiences – Both were concerned about their sins and had a great desire for personal salvation. Joseph pondered the Bible and Enos remembered the teachings of his father. Both plead with God in mighty prayer. Enos wrote:
“And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him…And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed” (Enos 1:4-5).
Joseph wrote four separate accounts of the First Vision during his lifetime. His first account was written in July 1832. (I have modernized the spelling and punctuation.)
“At about the age of twelve years my mind became seriously impressed with regard to the all-important concerns for the welfare of my immortal soul which led me to searching the scriptures believing as I was taught, that they contained the word of God…thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart…my mind became exceedingly distressed for I became convicted of my sins…in the 16th year of my age a pillar of light above the brightness of the sun at noon day came down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of God and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me saying Joseph my son thy sins are forgiven thee.”
Prayers are answered according to our faith – Enos and Joseph were both taught the importance of praying with faith. Enos wrote: “And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith” (Enos 1:12, emphasis added).
Joseph read from the Bible: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:6, emphasis added).
The doctrine of prayer – The Bible Dictionary teaches the doctrine of prayer with power and authority:
“As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many so called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship.
“Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.
“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.
“Christians are taught to pray in Christ’s name. We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ – when His words abide in us. We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant.
“Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all and they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.”
Now is a time for mighty prayer offered with great faith and desire – We are in a worldwide pandemic, and our Church, national, and state leaders have asked individuals and families to join together in mighty prayer to God for relief and protection from this virus.
As we pray for this relief and recovery, we must exercise our faith by doing all that is in our power to make it happen. This includes following the guidelines given to arrest the spread of this virus.
Our prayers will be answered and the Lord’s arm will be revealed – Joseph Smith’s inspired counsel certainly applies and the scourge of this virus will pass: “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17).