"If I ask not amiss"

Dear friend

The little word "if" - perhaps because it is so small - is sometimes easy to miss. Unfortunately when this concise conditional conjunction does go unseen it can lead to considerable misunderstanding and no less disappointment. Not noticing the conditions attached to a desired or anticipated outcome is likely to lead to an unrealised expectation.

In a gospel context we should always look out for the "if" when we want to get the resulting blessing. For example, look for the if in this verse from the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 4:35.

35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

I'm sure you saw it, the if. The Prophet Nephi joyously exclaims a veritable truth about the willingness of God to give us freely of that for which we ask. That is an exciting promise and one of which we may wish to frequently avail ourselves. After all, there must be a lot we could ask to be given. Ah, but in our enthusiasm to put the promise to the test, don't forget the if.

"If I ask not amiss" is the condition. Using the word "amiss" suggests a gentle way of describing a mistake, an error, something not quite right. The scriptural amiss may be a bit more harsh, but the key to the lesson is to carefully consider our prayer requests. The Lord will simply not give us something when He knows, in His far superior knowledge, that it will not be good for us.

I wonder if that conditional clause, to ask not amiss, is there because some people pray with a personal motive, trying to get God to back them up, or just so they can say they "prayed about it".

Let us identify the ifs to every opportunity. Let us analyse our asking to ensure it is a righteous desire we seek. It may not be granted exactly as we want, but if we are sincere, He will bless us with what we need. (Notice the if.)

Samuel.

A vision of the Father for when we pray

Dear friend

Prayer is a quite unique form of communication. We normally close our eyes before we pray. When else would we do that to talk with someone? Perhaps it helps us be less distracted by visual stimulus. Or perhaps it signifies our utter unworthiness in comparison to God, to the extent that we should not, cannot, look upon His glory in our corrupt mortal state; a blessed mercy maybe. Whatever the reason, when our natural eyes are closed what do we picture in our mind's eye? Do we have an image of Heavenly Father as He lovingly listens to our stumbling statements of praise and petition?

If you want a visual image, you could borrow one from the Prophet Ezekiel. He had a vision of God on His throne. The description is brilliant, in both senses. It comes from the Old Testament, Ezekiel 1:26-28.

26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

So, in order to capture for yourself this Regal revelation, send your mind above the sky, past the upper atmosphere to the far reaches of the furthest stars. See a throne spectacularly shining with a bright blue hue. See Father seated thereon, with a golden glow of glorious fire emanating from the core of His whole person; a shimmering white-hot wonderment. Feel the warmth of pure love tingle on your face as He smiles at you personally and nods approvingly. You bask in His absolute affection and beautiful boundless beneficence. Surrounding this marvellous mirage is a full spectrum of rainbow-like radiance, an aura too magnificent for mere words. The holiness is humbling, the perfection is palpable. Hold that visualisation with as much mental clarity and spiritual sensitivity as you can muster. Let it sink deep into your soul.

Having imprinted our own version of Ezekiel's vision into our psyche, I hope we can recall it and use it to enhance our prayer experience. It made the Prophet fall on his face in complete obeisance. I pray that we might share in a portion of what resulted and so say with him "I heard a voice of one that spake".

Samuel.

The Psalms can help our prayers

Dear friend

The Psalms are a treasure trove of exemplary communications with God. If in our own prayers we sometimes struggle with knowing the right things to say or the best way of saying them, the Psalms can inspire us with their simple pleadings and humble praises. The language is beautiful and at times quite exquisite.

As we prepare to pray by reveringly contemplating and comparing our standing before God - the vast differences in our respective wisdom and worthiness - we can draw instructional insight from such passages as found in the Old Testament, Psalm 73:22-26.

22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

The Psalmist acknowledges how crude and rudimentary is our knowledge. We are like an animal in contrast to God's omniscience. Yet, despite that gulf in relative glory, we are caused to recognise His willing presence in our lives. He is, or can be if we let Him be, continually beside us as if walking hand-in-hand. As we obediently follow His counsel we can see more and more how it is designed to lead us back to Him. But we must place Him first in our lives, beyond our personal preferences or pleasures.

As mortals we are often subject to our "flesh and our heart failing". These are the very matters we can take to the Lord to seek a blessing at His hand; either to remove our weaknesses or help us endure and learn from them. Can you picture yourself borrowing the sentiments and maybe even some of the words from these verses as you compose your communing with the Almighty? I think that is one reason they are included in the holy writ.

I hope that the scriptures can ever help us to commune competently with God. I pray we too can say that He is "the strength of my heart".

Samuel.

Seek God, the earlier the better

Dear friend

I worry that too many people - and I include myself on occasion - can become casual in their relationship with God. I recognise that we simply cannot be totally at our righteous peak all of the time, but a casual attitude to God can quickly turn into a comfortable habit. One way to recognise this happening is by noticing less than earnest prayer practices; such as being inconsistent, using vain repetition, missing the occasional prayer, not kneeling if you can, or not really concentrating. Such laxity can also be the thin edge of that sneaky wedge; the wedge that gradually drives us away from God and towards Satan's influences.

There was a time when the ancient kingdoms of Judah and Israel were far beyond casual in neglecting their divine duties. They were going through that iniquitous phase of another of their apostacy, humility, prosperity, pride cycles. They were not seeking the face of their God. They were too busy looking for happiness in wickedness. Speaking in the voice of the Lord the Prophet Hosea knew what the outcome would be, as described in the Old Testament, Hosea 5:15.

15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

How true it is that the quality of our seeking the Lord all too often correlates with our level of needing His help. And too often that help is needed to get us out of a problem we got ourselves into in the first place. In this regard I especially like the phrase "they will seek me early". We can read a similar sentiment in Doctrine and Covenants 88:83.

83 He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken.

This version turns the phrase into the positive. Without needing a pressing blessing, we do well to seek God first thing; not second, or last. Doing those things that nurture the circumstances so that God can be involved in our lives should be early in our daily to dos; at the top end of the list.

I hope we never take our God for granted. Yes, He is always there for us, but are we always there for Him? I pray we will be early engagers in Father's fellowship.

Samuel.

He speaks to each of us personally

Dear friend

Some people will write down a spiritual experience in a journal. Another may speak it and someone else records the incident. In a very small number of cases a person's sacred communications with God are received and recorded when the Lord speaks to a person through one of His prophets. Such revelations might well become a matter of scripture.

This was exactly the case with John Whitmer. The record is revealing about how God responds to our petitions to Him. It is found in Doctrine and Covenants 15:1-6 (being the whole section).

1 Hearken, my servant John, and listen to the words of Jesus Christ, your Lord and your Redeemer.
2 For behold, I speak unto you with sharpness and with power, for mine arm is over all the earth.
3 And I will tell you that which no man knoweth save me and thee alone
4 For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you.
5 Behold, blessed are you for this thing, and for speaking my words which I have given you according to my commandments.
6 And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.

Consider what this insight helps us understand about how the Divine develops us. God's willing volunteers are called His servants. But the Lord we serve is also our Redeemer from being servants to sin.

He knows everything about us, including what only we know about ourselves. Our Father is aware of all our prayers, even the ones we think have gone unanswered. If our desires are righteous that alone makes us already worthy of His blessings, before having actually achieved.

The actual answer to John Whitmer's personal question is informative to us all. The most valuable work we can do is to declare repentance and invite souls to come unto Jesus Christ. The promised blessing is to be with these souls as forever friends in the Father's Kingdom.

There may never be scripture with our name on it, but I hope we recognise when we receive God's word for us. Whatever that word is, it will always come to us with a promise.

Samuel.

In the Garden of Gethsemane

Dear friend

If ever there was a passage of scripture that should be pondered over and over, it is surely the account of the Lord praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. There is so much to learn and to love. There are so many inspiring insights that allow us access to the divine nature. The words lead us to adore the Saviour more and more. One version is from the New Testament, Luke 22:39-44.

39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Luke says He "went, as he was wont". So Jesus had a special place where he liked to go to speak with His Father. Maybe we should have a special prayer place too?

As with the exemplary "Lord's Prayer", at this critical time He reminds His escorting disciples to pray to avoid temptation. Isn't that counsel still so relevant, so fundamental?

Jesus prayed to His Father in like manner to our praying; on His knees. He understood the enormity and universally unique trial He was about to face and asked if He could avoid it. We too don't always get out of our trials when we ask. Jesus willingly submitted to the Father's will. Do we?

The Father sent an angel, someone to help Jesus through the struggle. He will do the same for us if we need it.

He "prayed more earnestly". What a thought! Even Christ could discover a deeper well within Himself to draw from. Do we know how to dig deep in prayer when things get tough?

The agony caused a physical reaction. Do our worries (or sins) make us ill sometimes? The body and the spirit are intimately intertwined.

I hope we will return often to God's garden to share that moment with Him. Of all the places we might go to discover Him, this is where we learn of Him at His most vulnerable and at His most powerful.

Samuel.