Prayer – “What will ye that I should do” - 03/08

Prayer – “What will ye that I should do”

There are times when, in the course of this mortal life, there are times when we receive communication from our Heavenly Father.  This communication comes in different ways.  It is important that we understand these ways so that we can get the help he has promised to send us.  “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.[1] Through prayer, we ask Heavenly Father for his divine intervention, instruction and other blessings.  We also exert full effort with all of our skill, knowledge and understanding.

In the Book of Mormon, there are two examples of boat building that help us understand important principles of divine communication.

The first example is the Brother of Jared also called Mahonri Moriancumer. At the time of the tower of Babel, the Lord confused all languages because of the unrighteousness of the people.  Mahonri, a righteous man asked the Lord to allow his family to not have their language confused.  The Lord granted this blessing and then commanded them to go to a different land.  Over the next several years of travel, Mahonri had not been as prayerful as he should have been.  The Lord came to him and chastised him for three hours because he had forgotten to pray. [2] The Lord then told him to build the barges they would need to cross the sea. But the Lord did not tell him how to build the barges. Mahonri had done it before, but in a different land; he didn’t need instruction on how to build a boat. Here we learn that God does not always instruct us in the things we already know.  Still, they did receive some direction. “And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord.”[3]  We learn there were some adjustments to the design of the boats as directed by the Lord.  These adjustments caused some problems for Mahonri.  The boats were air tight and Mahonri didn’t know how to solve the problem of getting air in the boats.  He went to Heavenly Father and was instructed on how he could drill holes and use plugs to get air into the boats.  Here we see that God gave specific instructions when Mahonri didn’t have any idea how to solve the problem. Then there was another problem.  There was no light in the boats.  Mahonri then asked the Lord how to solve the problem of having light in the boat.  This is where the Lord taught the brother of Jared a great lesson. The Lord said, “What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?” [4] I am sure that Mahonri was puzzled when the Lord told him to think about it and come up with his own solution.  God had just told him how to solve the problem of getting air into the boats, why not tell him how to solve the problem of light?

Mahonri went up into a mount called Shelem, and the record says he “did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass.”[5] Mahonri went back to the Lord in prayer and said: “Touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.” [6]  The Lord did touch the stones and Mahonri had light in all of the vessels.

From this account of Mahonri we learn that the Lord wants us to pray continually, then to use our skill and knowledge to proceed.  He will help us when we are stuck, and then perhaps the most important lesson – He wants us to put forth effort to come up with solutions and then come to Him for his endorsement.  This seems to contradict the scripture in Proverbs that says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”[7]  Elder Franklin D. Richards helps to clarify when he taught, “Above all, and after all you can do, remember that the greatest help will come from your Heavenly Father. Pray always and be patient.”[i]
We need to pray always and particularly at the beginning of our efforts.  This insures that we always have the inspiration of the Holy Ghost as we are doing everything in our power. Bruce R. McConkie said, “There’s a fine balance between agency and inspiration. We’re expected to do everything in our power and then to seek an answer from the Lord, a confirming seal that we’ve reached the right conclusion; and sometimes, happily, in addition, we get added truths and knowledge that we hadn’t even supposed.”[ii]

There is a second ship building project that will give us further confirmation of these principles.

Lehi and his family had suffered much in the wilderness.  They finally reached the sea, in a place called Bountiful.  After a few days, Nephi received a message.  It was to “Arise, and get thee into the mountain.”[8]  The Lord commanded Nephi to build a ship. Nephi had no experience in this area so Heavenly Father gave Nephi specific instructions: “Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.” [9]  We see again that God will give very specific instructions.

As Nephi was preparing to begin he realized that he needed metal tools.  Nephi could have asked the Lord to make the tools miraculously appear in similar fashion as the appearance of the Liahona. But instead, Nephi knew that he could make the tools himself if he could find ore to melt.  This is when he went to the Lord: “And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?” [10]  He received the specific directions to the ore, made his tools, and with God’s direction, completed the boat.

As Heavenly Father dealt with the brother of Jared and with Nephi we see that he consistently followed a pattern of communication. 

1. Pray must be constant.
2. If knowledge and skill are in place, pray for inspiration and guidance, then proceed.
3. If we don’t know what to do, we pray, study, ponder and try to figure it out.  When we have a plan, we go to Heavenly Father to confirm that it is what He wants.
4. When we are at a complete loss as to what to do, and we don’t have the capacity to figure it out, the Lord will provide an answer in one way or another.

We can easily apply these concepts to our modern lives. For example, what can we do when we want to have more success at school.  Do we pray that Heavenly Father will bless us with straight A’s and then sit back and do nothing?  Of course not.  If we do as the Brother of Jared and Nephi did, here is the process we would follow:

1. We start by praying that Heavenly Father will bless is in our efforts to get good grades.
2. We lay out our plan for studying and working to get good grades.  We pray for confirmation that these plans are good plans.  If we don’t have a good feeling, we figure out adjustments to the plan and pray again.
3. We pray for help that we will remember the things that we study.  We pray during classes, that we will be able to understand what is being taught.
4. When we get stuck on something, or can’t figure out how to accomplish something, we pray for specific help, instruction and inspiration.
5. We pray for help while studying and say things like: “Help me to be able to focus on my studies.” “Help me to stay awake and concentrate a little longer.”  “Help me to remember the things that are most important.”
6. During exams, we pray for help and inspiration to remember everything.

This is further illustrated with an example from the life of Grandpa Packer (Clyde Dean Packer) who was a medical doctor and a Melchezidic Priesthood holder.  He had great skill as a surgeon and over time had acquired a great knowledge of medical information.  He was a great man spiritually and recognized that he needed Heavenly Father’s help.  There were many times when he was doing a surgery or some medical procedure and he received inspiration that helped him.  He acknowledged that Heavenly Father helped him many times.  This help came as inspiration or other personal revelation.  He would often pray for help and inspiration, going over the plan in advance with Heavenly Father and making adjustments accordingly.  This is similar to Mahonri as he laid out his plan (prepared the stones) and then went to the Lord to ask for His help

As Nephi didn’t ask for the tools to be automatically created, Grandpa Packer would not simply use his priesthood to heal every patient.  That is not how Heavenly Father works.  That would take away our agency and our responsibility.  While teaching his sons, Nephi’s father said, “…there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon” (italics added).

These examples imply that there is a balance between what we do on our own, and what we ask our Heavenly Father to do.  But that is not the case.  In reality we do not find a balance.  We give one hundred percent effort to each of the two areas. We ask Heavenly Father for his divine intervention, instruction and blessing in every aspect of what we do.  Then, we work with all of our skill, knowledge and understanding.

As a boy, I would often go over to my cousin’s house on Sunday afternoon.  One Sunday when I was about 11 years old a group of friends gather together at his house.  We decided to go outside and throw the football around.  Then we had this great idea to catch a diving pass and land on a big pillow.  It was fun to pretend we were football stars diving for the winning touchdown!  Then we figured it would be even more fun if we jumped from a ladder onto the pillow while catching the football.  Well, as you can imagine, that didn’t work out so well.  I leapt from the ladder, caught the ball, and missed the pillow.  Initially I just had a headache.  Later, as I went home it got much worse and I was in a lot of pain.  My Dad did two things, he gave me a shot to help with the pain, and he gave me a priesthood blessing.  When I felt better, I felt in my heart that both things had helped. 

My Father knew what to do from his own knowledge and expertise, but he also knew that his priesthood power played a big part.  He knew it was necessary to seek the blessings of Heavenly Father by using his priesthood authority.  He had done all that was possible medically with his skill, knowledge and understanding and then he used his priesthood drawing on the powers of Heaven to heal me.

The life of Joseph Smith Jr. also illustrates an important aspect of reliance on Heavenly Father. In the early history of the Church, Joseph needed to find a location where he could safely translate the golden plates. Heavenly Father warned him that there were people who were laying in wait who wanted to destroy him.  Joseph didn’t know where to go next.  He received the Lord’s direction as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Yea, for this cause I have said: Stop, and stand still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee.”[11]

I imagine Joseph being very relieved, and putting his trust in Heavenly Father, as he stood patiently waiting for the directions to come.  Joseph had a great relationship with God.  He had great faith and had been the recipient of regular inspiration and revelation.  This was a time when he didn’t know what to do next and he needed to pause and let Heavenly Father direct him.

In the New Testament, there is also a scripture that demonstrates these principles.  In Matthew it says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”[12] To “ask” is the first direction we are given.  This is prayer at its most basic – asking for what we need.  To “seek” implies the work we must do to find the way.  We seek for the path; seek out the answer, relying on Heavenly Father’s inspiration, using all our skill, knowledge and understanding.  To “knock” is action on our part as we go to Heavenly Father and ask Him to open the door for us, because we can not do it for ourselves.

As always, our Heavenly Father knows the appropriate time frame.  Often, His inspiration seems to come at the last minute, or comes exactly at the time we need it. Missionaries of the Church are taught to open their mouths and teach.  They are told that if they have prepared, God will give them what to say in the hour of their need. In Luke we read, “For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.”[13] In the Old Testament we read what God told Moses, “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”[14]

In this final phase, our dependence on Heavenly Father to show us the way, there is a key.  This key is preparation – doing our part. We must prepare with knowledge, and skill. We must prepare spiritually so that we are open to receive all communication from Him.  “…if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”[15]

In order to appropriately invoke the benevolent blessings of our Father in Heaven, we must have faith, pray continuously and work hard.  We must utilize everything we can - our intelligence, training, and seeking counsel from others.  We must put forth our full efforts while constantly praying for guidance and direction.  This is what God expects. In Proverbs, it states a beautiful and concise conclusion to these thoughts.  “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.[16]

Then we can take comfort in the fact that when we are completely lost, a loving Heavenly Father will show us the way.

 [1] Old Testament, Proverbs 3:6
[2] Book of Mormon, Either 2:14
[3] Book of Mormon, Either 2:16
[4] Book of Mormon, Ether 2:23
[5] Book of Mormon, Ether 3:1
[6] Book of Mormon, Ether 3:4
[7] Old Testament, Proverbs 3:5
[8] Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 17:7
[9] Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 17:8
[10] Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 17:9
[11] Doctrine and Covenants, Section 5, verse 34
[12] New Testament, Mathew 7:7
[13] New Testament, Luke 12:12
[14] Old Testament, Exodus 4:12
[15] Doctrine and Covenants, Section 38, verse 30
[16] Old Testament, Proverbs 16:9



[i] Franklin D. Richards, “Being a Successful Member Missionary: A Conversation with Elder Franklin D. Richards of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy”, Ensign, 1977, October

[ii] Bruce R. McConkie, “Agency or Inspiration?,” New Era, Jan 1975, 38
Click Here ..