1 Nephi 1: 5-8
1 Nephi 1:5 and 1:7
5 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.
7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.
Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal lives is good and proper. However, praying earnestly for others, both those whom we love and those who despitefully use us, is also an important element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more often in our prayers enlarges the conduit for revelation, so praying for others with all of the energy of our souls increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord.
We learn a vital lesson from the example of Lehi in the Book of Mormon. Lehi responded in faith to prophetic instruction and warnings concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. He then prayed unto the Lord “with all his heart, in behalf of his people” (1 Nephi 1:5; emphasis added). In answer to this fervent prayer, Lehi was blessed with a glorious vision of God and His Son and of the impending destruction of Jerusalem (see 1 Nephi 1:6–9, 13, 18). Consequently, Lehi rejoiced, and his whole heart was filled because of the things which the Lord had shown him (see 1 Nephi 1:15). Please note that the vision came in response to a prayer for others and not as a result of a request for personal edification or guidance.
Elder Bednar's full talk "Pray Always"
1 Nephi 1:6
6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly.
Our eternal life is as dependent upon spiritual nutrients as our mortal life is upon air. The most important spiritual nutrients are knowledge of God and knowledge of his Son. We know the Father by knowing the Son. What is the best source on the face of the earth to learn about the Son? It is in studying another testament of him, commonly known as the Book of Mormon, and then having the Holy Ghost bear witness to you that it is true.
Many testimonies have been and will be borne in this conference to truths from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. We are blessed with the prophets’ utterances in the Old Testament of Jesus Christ as they foresaw his coming. We are doubly blessed with the New Testament, wherein he appeared in the flesh and many knew him. We are triply blessed with another testament of him. My wife, Helen, and I have read the Book of Mormon several times in the past few months. We have asked ourselves, “If this is another testament of Jesus Christ, how does it perform this task?”
We determined to note every reference to the Savior as we prayerfully prepared ourselves for another excursion through this special witness. We had just turned the very first page in this sacred record, and the curtain began to open to a panorama of testimony that Jesus is the Christ.
Here is the first scene. Lehi, praying with all his heart, had this experience:
“There came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much. …
“And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.
“And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.
“And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read” (1 Ne. 1:6, 9–11).
What was Lehi’s reaction to this heaven-sent scene? “He testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world” (1 Ne. 1:19).
We were still in the first chapter of 1 Nephi, having barely begun our quest. As we continued, verse after verse, chapter after chapter bore witness of his reality.
1 Nephi 1:8
8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
Reading the experience of others, or the revelation given to them, can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things11 can only be obtained by experience through the ordinances of God12 set forth for that purpose. Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.13
Peter1 and Stephen testify2 that they saw the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.3 Any person that had seen the heavens opened4 knows that there are three personages in the heavens who hold the keys of power, and one presides over all.
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