Thought of the Sunday 25

So there's a great story in the Book of Mormon about the brother of Jared and his family.  Jared and his brother lived at the time of the confounding of languages and the tower of Babel.  He and his family were spared the confounding of languages because of their faith and prayers and they were directed to build barges to cross the seas and come to a promised land (present day Americas).  One of the reasons I love this story so much is that it is a great example of how the Lord answers our prayers, which is something I am very interested in. 

So the brother of Jared and his family built barges "...according to the instructions of the Lord.  And they were small and light upon the water...(Ether 2:16)."  But there were two main problems with these barges.   One was that there was no light and one was that they were closed off with no hope for extra or fresh air.  The brother of Jared went to the Lord to discuss the problems.  Here is the Lord's answer to the question of air.   

Ether 2:20 says, "And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air.  And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood."

So, great, the Lord answered one of the problems with a very clear solution and with directions.  As to the question of light, here is the Lord's response.

Ether 2:23, 25 "And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?  For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire...therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea."

This is a very interesting answer.  The Lord tells the brother of Jared what won't work and then asks him to be quite creative to come up with a solution.  I think this can be a pattern for us.  Sometimes the Lord will give us a very clear, direct answer.  But sometimes we are required to come up with a solution on our own and present it to the Lord for his approval.  We can't expect everything to just be given to us because then there is no need for faith.

This is what Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says about receiving answers to prayers:

"...When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence.  When He answers no, it is to prevent error.  When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth.  We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation."

To me this says that we will experience different types of answers to our prayers and those answers will best suit His will for us.  Also, we are expected to make decisions for ourselves based on our knowledge of the nature of God and His teachings.  Sometimes we have to walk in the dark to do this, but our faith will increase and our perspective will grow wider and more eternal.  It is hard not to know everything but trust and faith can help us as we struggle through the obstacles of life.

**Note:  If you don't know or don't remember the story of the brother of Jared and how it all turns out here is the link to Ether 2-3.