Prayers of the Prophets

As I read the scriptures I'm reminded of the manner of prayer demonstrated by those of great faith, especially the prophets.

In the Book of Mormon we have several great examples of prayer. In reality there are two families who create two great civilizations. There is Lehi's family resulting in the Nephites and Lamanites, and there is the brother of Jared and his family resulting in the Jaredites. Really there are two sets of records and both records begin with a prayer. If the Book of Mormon were in chronological order the Book of Ether would be first.

Ether chapter 1 begins with the genealogy of Ether and gives the historical background. Then the first actual event is recorded: "And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord" (Ether 1: 35). 

The story of Lehi's family is similar. The first four verses in the Book of Mormon give the historical background, the language of the record, and let the reader know it's the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. Then the first event of this record is recorded: "Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people" (1 Nephi 1: 5).

The phrases, "Cry unto the Lord," and "prayed unto the Lord . . . with all his heart," convey the emotion and intensity of these prayers.

When Nephi and his brothers return to Jerusalem to invite Ishmael's family to join them, and upon the return trip into the wilderness, Laman and Lemuel bind Nephi with cords planning to leave him in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts. Nephi offers a prayer unto the Lord as he pleads,

"O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound" (1 Nephi 7: 17).

I am impressed with the spiritual maturity of this prayer. I'm afraid if I were faced with a similar situation, my prayer might go something like, "O Lord, please come down and untie me."

The prayer of faith pleading for strength to overcome is more likely to be honored by God, than the prayer asking for adversity and temptation to be removed. Especially for those of us in recovery from addictions. Notice Nephi is bound with cords. Those of us striving to overcome addictions (myself included) are bound with our drug(s) of choice, and are strengthened spiritually as we plead for God's grace--His enabling power.

Alma was faced with adversity as he and his associates were teaching the Zoramites. He is concerned for their welfare and offers this prayer:

"O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people" (Alma 31: 31).

He offers a similar prayer, pleading for strength and patience for his fellow laborers.

I'm afraid my prayer might sound something like this:

"O Lord, these people are so messed up. Please fix them. Don't make me suffer because of their faults."

In 12-Step recovery we often quote the Serenity Prayer:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference."

When we as addicts (or anyone else) begin praying for God to rearrange other people, places, and things in lieu of a plea for God's grace, our serenity is on shaky ground at best.

The Book of Mormon gives us a pattern of prayer we can adopt to truly feel of the strength of our Savior, allowing us to come unto Him with full purpose of heart. We can then call down the blessings of heaven--blessings that will endure through eternity, rather than merely receiving the temporary benefits of a quick fix.

The Book of Mormon is such an incredible gift.