Let's read and reflect on what we can learn from the book of Enos. It might be useful to ponder the process through which Enos came to know God. In so doing we can share thoughts that will help one of us prepare for an upcoming lesson.
Thoughts that came to mind: verse 3: the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints sunk deep into my heart. - what he heard his father speak about: eternal life, joy of the saints. When our children think of their fathers and the church, do they think about eternal life (God's life, the wonderful kinds of things He does, what it would be like to be together) or the joy of the saints (the life my parents or grandparents live makes me think of people striving to be disciples of Christ who are finding JOY though their lives.) Do youth and young adults associate parenthood and church membership with joy? If so, why? If not, why not? - he had often heard his father speak. We speak often of the things that mean the most, that bring happiness to our lives. Note the pattern in 2 Ne 25:26 (Talk, rejoice, prepare to feel influence of the holy ghost[preach], bear witness of Christ[prophesy], and write.) Notice how talking leads to opportunities to rejoice, which sets the stage to invite the Holy Ghost and bear witness. - sunk deep into my heart. The Holy Ghost brings things unto our hearts 2 Ne 33: 1. Learning by faith is the door to the heart. Hence, is it likely that Enos had acted in faith upon the things he knew through the Holy Ghost. He wasn't just a bystander who had heard things his father said. He believed, hoped and acted in faith so that what he had heard could come in and sink into his heart.
Now notice verse 2: I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God So Enos will tell of of a wrestle before God, which by definition can mean wrestle: to pray earnestly before: a) in front of, b)in the presence of or within the jurisdiction of or cognizance of. So Enos is not wrestling to get his way with God. He is seeking the presence of God. Recall 2 Nephi 2:4 spoken by Lehi to Jacob: "thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory..."
So what is the pattern: v3: recollect words of father (parents) and joy of saints, learn through faith v4: soul hungers --> diligent, extended prayer such that it "reached the heavens." v5: receives remission of sins & knows it v8: comes to understand after the trial of his faith v9+: his concern turns to others because of the peace and joy he has found. (note Mosiah 4:3)
And so the cycle continues: Enos is reborn, experiences the joy of the gospel, and follows the pattern seen in 2 Ne25:26. And so can we doubt that Enos shared his experiences with his son Jarom who indicates that he prophesied and received revelations and worked in behalf of his people (Jarom 1:2-3) as his father had.
In Feb 1847, nearly 3 years after the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred, he appeared to President Brigham Young and gave him this message: "They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their soulds, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God." cited in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, p. 98.
I also have enjoyed the teaching of parents sharing with their children the "joy of the saints". It has made me watch how i behave when I head out for a meeting, activity, home teaching, etc because I know the girls are watching and pick up very quickly when I'm joyfully serving or not.
I really like this quote from James E. Faust: "He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skills". I noticed he left the statement open as to who we wrestle with. Do I wrestle with God (seek his presence), myself (natural man), Satan... the list could go on. If I wrestle with God my spiritual nerve is strengthened which gives me confidence as I seek for and do what is right. My skills at seeking and receiving revelation are sharpened as well. Of course wrestling with temptations, doubt, fear, and so on will only sharpen those skills and bury me deeper in those feelings of inadequacy and sin. Thinking about this has made me be more careful in what and who I seek.
Dad - where did you get the definition of wrestle? I like that.
The definitions for "wrestle" and "before" came from the 1920 dictionary my Grandpa Groesbeck had on his mission. I like the old definitions, some of which are marked as "passing out of use since 1800."
I like the Enos makes mention that he KNEW he had received a remission of his sins. I think it's important that I recognize that as well because of the spirit and power that recognition brings. Think of the fire that new members of the church often have. Last Sunday we had an 8 year old girl, newly baptized, speak in church and teach with the spirit. She knew what she had done was right and was excited to testify and teach with the spirit.
While I was thinking about wrestling and wondering if I had ever really wrestled with the Lord, I began writing my thoughts and the answers I received while I was writing them (what I realized later was a wrestle). I wanted to know if I had ever really wrestled with the Lord in the past so that I could share that experience in a talk if I had. I wrote a definition that said wrestling is an honest, sincere conversation with the Lord to know His will for me with a desire to follow it. I realized then that I was wrestling before the Lord at that time.
I've realized now that wrestling with the Lord doesn't have a time requirement. I think I always thought a wrestle with the Lord meant devoting a day and night to find an answer. What matters is the desire and our focus (an intent/desire focus?). Enos' prayers reached the heavens. My prayers can reach the heavens and I can receive answers and be made whole as well. I don't have to pray all night, but the desire or will to pray all night if I needed to is what matters.
Sorry for the slow response. Better late than never right?
I've read about Enos remembering the words of this father and wrestling with the Lord. For some reason, until this year I never realized that Jacob is Enos's father. As a descendant of Lehi and Nephi's nephew, he had some great footsteps to follow. See Jacob 7:27:
" And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands..."
So, Enos had, "promised obedience to the commands", as had Enos. It seems that his wrestle with the Lord was in response to the commandments or promise he had make with his father.
Dave - I like your comment. While wrestling can certainly apply to repentance and overcoming sin, it can also be a wrestle to do what is right, or commanded of us. That got me thinking about the importance of following ALL the commandments because it causes me to be humble and wrestle humbly WITH the Lord.
I also thought about Jacob and his command to Enos, and Nephi's command to Jacob. Both Nephi and Jacob were great leaders and expected great things from those they led. What I thought about for the first time today was the importance of Jacob's command to Enos. It caused Enos to wrestle and grow immensely. It makes me think about the importance of inviting (commanding) those I serve to do great things - things that will make them wrestle humbly with the Lord and grow.
Another thought: what have my leaders invited/comanded me to do? What invitations did I receive? How can I grow from them?
Alma 8:10 Alma wrestled WITH God as well, and we're told that as he did so he "labored much IN the spirit". I continue to enjoy seeing how these great prophets worked WITH God and IN the spirit. There is no struggle with trying to force their will or to do anything contrary to what they know Christ would have them do. Their wrestle is to accomplish what they have been commanded do and do so in the way the Lord would have them do it. Then by being humble and submitting to God they are blessed with great power. I like the process and have been trying to remember it when I'm asked to do things.
It reminds me of the simple equation our YM presidency has tried to teach the YM: B + P = R, or behavior + process = results. Whether good or bad, what gets put into the left side of the equation will yield similar good or bad on the right side.
9 comments:
Thoughts that came to mind:
verse 3: the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints sunk deep into my heart.
- what he heard his father speak about: eternal life, joy of the saints. When our children think of their fathers and the church, do they think about eternal life (God's life, the wonderful kinds of things He does, what it would be like to be together) or the joy of the saints (the life my parents or grandparents live makes me think of people striving to be disciples of Christ who are finding JOY though their lives.) Do youth and young adults associate parenthood and church membership with joy? If so, why? If not, why not?
- he had often heard his father speak. We speak often of the things that mean the most, that bring happiness to our lives. Note the pattern in 2 Ne 25:26 (Talk, rejoice, prepare to feel influence of the holy ghost[preach], bear witness of Christ[prophesy], and write.) Notice how talking leads to opportunities to rejoice, which sets the stage to invite the Holy Ghost and bear witness.
- sunk deep into my heart. The Holy Ghost brings things unto our hearts 2 Ne 33: 1. Learning by faith is the door to the heart. Hence, is it likely that Enos had acted in faith upon the things he knew through the Holy Ghost. He wasn't just a bystander who had heard things his father said. He believed, hoped and acted in faith so that what he had heard could come in and sink into his heart.
Now notice verse 2: I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God
So Enos will tell of of a wrestle before God, which by definition can mean
wrestle: to pray earnestly
before: a) in front of, b)in the presence of or within the jurisdiction of or cognizance of.
So Enos is not wrestling to get his way with God. He is seeking the presence of God. Recall 2 Nephi 2:4 spoken by Lehi to Jacob: "thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory..."
So what is the pattern:
v3: recollect words of father (parents) and joy of saints, learn through faith
v4: soul hungers --> diligent, extended prayer such that it "reached the heavens."
v5: receives remission of sins & knows it
v8: comes to understand after the trial of his faith
v9+: his concern turns to others because of the peace and joy he has found. (note Mosiah 4:3)
And so the cycle continues: Enos is reborn, experiences the joy of the gospel, and follows the pattern seen in 2 Ne25:26. And so can we doubt that Enos shared his experiences with his son Jarom who indicates that he prophesied and received revelations and worked in behalf of his people (Jarom 1:2-3) as his father had.
In Feb 1847, nearly 3 years after the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred, he appeared to President Brigham Young and gave him this message: "They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their soulds, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God." cited in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, p. 98.
I also have enjoyed the teaching of parents sharing with their children the "joy of the saints". It has made me watch how i behave when I head out for a meeting, activity, home teaching, etc because I know the girls are watching and pick up very quickly when I'm joyfully serving or not.
I really like this quote from James E. Faust: "He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skills". I noticed he left the statement open as to who we wrestle with. Do I wrestle with God (seek his presence), myself (natural man), Satan... the list could go on. If I wrestle with God my spiritual nerve is strengthened which gives me confidence as I seek for and do what is right. My skills at seeking and receiving revelation are sharpened as well. Of course wrestling with temptations, doubt, fear, and so on will only sharpen those skills and bury me deeper in those feelings of inadequacy and sin. Thinking about this has made me be more careful in what and who I seek.
Dad - where did you get the definition of wrestle? I like that.
I'll try to share more soon.
The definitions for "wrestle" and "before" came from the 1920 dictionary my Grandpa Groesbeck had on his mission. I like the old definitions, some of which are marked as "passing out of use since 1800."
I like the Enos makes mention that he KNEW he had received a remission of his sins. I think it's important that I recognize that as well because of the spirit and power that recognition brings. Think of the fire that new members of the church often have. Last Sunday we had an 8 year old girl, newly baptized, speak in church and teach with the spirit. She knew what she had done was right and was excited to testify and teach with the spirit.
While I was thinking about wrestling and wondering if I had ever really wrestled with the Lord, I began writing my thoughts and the answers I received while I was writing them (what I realized later was a wrestle). I wanted to know if I had ever really wrestled with the Lord in the past so that I could share that experience in a talk if I had. I wrote a definition that said wrestling is an honest, sincere conversation with the Lord to know His will for me with a desire to follow it. I realized then that I was wrestling before the Lord at that time.
I've realized now that wrestling with the Lord doesn't have a time requirement. I think I always thought a wrestle with the Lord meant devoting a day and night to find an answer. What matters is the desire and our focus (an intent/desire focus?). Enos' prayers reached the heavens. My prayers can reach the heavens and I can receive answers and be made whole as well. I don't have to pray all night, but the desire or will to pray all night if I needed to is what matters.
Sorry for the slow response. Better late than never right?
I've read about Enos remembering the words of this father and wrestling with the Lord. For some reason, until this year I never realized that Jacob is Enos's father. As a descendant of Lehi and Nephi's nephew, he had some great footsteps to follow. See Jacob 7:27:
" And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands..."
So, Enos had, "promised obedience to the commands", as had Enos. It seems that his wrestle with the Lord was in response to the commandments or promise he had make with his father.
Dave - I like your comment. While wrestling can certainly apply to repentance and overcoming sin, it can also be a wrestle to do what is right, or commanded of us. That got me thinking about the importance of following ALL the commandments because it causes me to be humble and wrestle humbly WITH the Lord.
I also thought about Jacob and his command to Enos, and Nephi's command to Jacob. Both Nephi and Jacob were great leaders and expected great things from those they led. What I thought about for the first time today was the importance of Jacob's command to Enos. It caused Enos to wrestle and grow immensely. It makes me think about the importance of inviting (commanding) those I serve to do great things - things that will make them wrestle humbly with the Lord and grow.
Another thought: what have my leaders invited/comanded me to do? What invitations did I receive? How can I grow from them?
Alma 8:10 Alma wrestled WITH God as well, and we're told that as he did so he "labored much IN the spirit". I continue to enjoy seeing how these great prophets worked WITH God and IN the spirit. There is no struggle with trying to force their will or to do anything contrary to what they know Christ would have them do. Their wrestle is to accomplish what they have been commanded do and do so in the way the Lord would have them do it. Then by being humble and submitting to God they are blessed with great power. I like the process and have been trying to remember it when I'm asked to do things.
It reminds me of the simple equation our YM presidency has tried to teach the YM: B + P = R, or behavior + process = results. Whether good or bad, what gets put into the left side of the equation will yield similar good or bad on the right side.
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