Joseph Smith's First Prayer: In Search For Truth

In the mission, we used to have 6 discussions to share with those we came in contact with who were interested to know more about the church. My favorite has always been the first discussion where we talk about the prophet Joseph Smith. I’ve often felt the spirit every time we quote his very own words about his first vision.

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me... When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (see Joseph Smith History: 1:15-17).

That first vision of Joseph Smith was a remarkable event. I know of no other person in history who claimed to have seen and spoken to God and His Son, Jesus Christ, as intimately as Joseph did in that grove of trees. However, as phenomenal as it was, to some, it was incredible.

One of my favorite testimonies about the prophet Joseph given by a modern prophet was that of Heber J. Grant. He said: “I’ve heard hundreds of men say if it wasn’t for Joseph Smith, I could accept your religion. Any man, who doesn’t believe in Joseph Smith as a prophet of the true and the living God, has no right to be in this church. The foundation stone: If he who did not make that interview with God and Jesus Christ, the whole Mormon fabric is a failure—it’s a fraud, it isn’t worth anything on earth. But God did come. God did introduce His Son. God did inspire that man to organize the Church of Jesus Christ, and all the opposition of the world is not able to withstand the truth”.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has blossomed like a rose & has come out of obscurity. It is now the 5th largest church in the U.S. and one of the fastest growing in the world. It is the 2nd largest in the state of California. Many people admire our devotion to family and the church’s program towards the family. They are impressed with our law of health, on how we take care of our youth. Many are overwhelmed with our welfare program, in our ability to help our own and others not of our faith at the same time. No other religious organization has a missionary program as successful and as structured as our missions in the church. The church, for some, is too good to be true—a perfect organization which so many admire and would want to emulate. But when the discussion comes in about Joseph Smith and his first vision, people become disinterested, simply because the story is unbelievable.

This great church, brothers and sisters, is a product of young Joseph’s first vocal prayer. The significance of that prayer is that, the truth came out in the open.

Every time I read the personal history of Joseph Smith as found in the Pearl of Great Price, I am amazed at the events that happened before he made the attempt to pray vocally. It also teaches us how to receive answers to our prayers & experience our own sacred grove.

1st, Joseph had the desire to know the truth. The religious revival during Joseph’s time was so intense that churches would advertise their beliefs as if in the marketplace. Joseph was confused as to which church he should join.

He said: "During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

"My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?" (JSH 1:8-10).

Notice his statements of desire when he said: “What is to be done”? & “how shall I know it”? He wanted that something be done about the matter & he wanted to know how. If we are to read between the lines, his desire went together with study. Along the way, he was studying the different Christian denominations—the result of which was that his “mind became partial to the Methodist sect”.

The word “desire” in simple terms, means “to want something very strongly”. Because Joseph wanted, very strongly, to know the truth, he had to do some study about the issue he was facing. He studied the scriptures and he talked often with his parents about religion.
In the course of his study, he came across a verse in the book of James in the Bible which read: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).

Joseph did just what James suggested. He was only 14 years old. Early one morning, in the spring of 1820, Joseph went to a nearby grove of trees. He was alone. He knelt in solemn and humble prayer. All he wanted to know was which church was true. His faith was such that he believed he would receive that answer, just as was promised in the book of James. What he did not, even could not expect was the appearance of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Of this momentous occasion in his life as well as the history of mankind, he said:

"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

"But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

"It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." (JSH 1:15-19)

What a glorious and straightforward result that was, to receive a specific answer to a specific question. The truth of the matter is, not only did the great restoration take place after that event, in its own humble setting; it was also a powerful example that our personal prayers can be answered, if we desire, study, believe, & not give up or give in if we are faced with adversity. I could not even begin to imagine the kind of opposition young Joseph came across with in that grove of trees while he was praying. He said: "I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction".

That moment was so significant that it would mean the end of the dark ages of Christianity & the start of the “restitution of all things” as prophesied by the holy prophets in the Bible, such as Amos & Peter. NO wonder the prince of darkness would react with such terrible demonstration.

For the remainder of Joseph Smith’s life, regardless of how many painful and difficult ways his enemies tried, Joseph Smith, Jr. never ever denied his testimony. Denying truth does not make it any less true, and he never denied truth.

Joseph lived a thousand lifetimes in his scant 38 years on this earth. His first prayer resulted to more accomplishments than any other prophet who lived on this earth, save Jesus only. The truth came out. The glorious gospel was restored. The meaning of the atonement was realized. The reality of the Godhead and the characteristics of each of its members were instinctively revealed.

I am obliged to Joseph Smith, who, prior to the coming forth of The Book of Mormon, became a prophet by virtue of his vision of God the Father and His Son. I know, regardless of personal acquaintance with Joseph, that he is a prophet of God; that even though I wasn't there to witness his experience with Deity, I know that it happened. What he said he saw, I know that he saw. When he related that he talked with God and Jesus Christ personally, I know that he did!

The Paradox of Our Age

This was sent to me by a dear friend, Socki Alcos.
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By Dr. Bob Moorehead

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small character; steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce; fancier houses but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

Dr. Bob Moorehead is a former pastor of Seattle's Overlake Christian Church. He retired in 1998 after 29 years in that post. The essay appeared in 'Words Aptly Spoken,' Dr. Moorehead's 1995 collection of prayers, homilies, and monologues used in his sermons and radio broadcasts.

4 A's of Prayer

It was time to talk about Enos in Sunday school. His example of prayer is a classic and from it comes a profound meaning for this so important act in life.

(If you want to know who Enos is and about his family and history, you may want to find out here > http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/basic-beliefs/the-restoration-of-truth/the-book-of-mormon or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enos_%28Book_of_Mormon%29)

Among other things, Enos teaches us by example of four great principles associated with powerful prayer focused on a particular need. Interestingly enough, all of them can be written beginning with the letter “A”.

1. ALONE:

Enos made his first great petition while he was hunting. In the course of his pursuit of beasts, he had a deep and rich experience and stopped hunting and started praying. His prayer, at least in terms of its location, was much like the prayer of Joseph in the Sacred Grove. Joseph said, “After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God.” (JS–H 1:15) Amulek taught, “But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.” (Alma 34:26) President Kimball said “We, too, ought to find, where possible, a room, a corner, a closet, a place where we can “retire” to “pray vocally” in secret.” (Ensign, Oct. 1981, p. 4)

2. ALOUD:

Enos knelt before his maker and “cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication. . . . I did raise my voice high that it reached the heavens” (Enos 1:4) Nephi said it this way: “I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, My God . . .” (2 Nephi 4:35.)Nearly one hundred times in the Book of Mormon some form of the verb "to cry" is used to denote prayer. A "cry" is usually vocal. Amulek indicates this in his stirring sermon on prayer when he counsels: "And when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually." (Alma 34:27, emphasis added.) In other words, when we do not or cannot pray vocally, then we should pray in our hearts. (Ted Gibbons, Put off Thy Shoes, p. 68)

President Spencer W. Kimball said: We recall the many times the Lord instructs us to pray vocally. "And again, I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private. (Doctrine and Covenants 19:28.) So central is this to our prayers and personal religious life that the Lord instructed the priesthood brethren to "visit the house of each member, exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties. (Ensign, October 1981, p. 2.)

3. A LOT:

Not all answers come at the first petition. Our repeated requests are not an effort to change the Lord but to change ourselves. Read the seventh paragraph in the entry under Prayer in the Bible Dictionary. We are not trying to get the Lord ready to answer our prayer, but to get ourselves ready to receive the answer he wants to give us. “All the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.” (Enos 1:4)

Speaking of this experience of Enos, Pres. Harold B. Lee said,“I once read that scripture to a woman who laughed and said, "Imagine anybody praying all night and all day." I replied, "My dear sister, I hope you never have to come to a time where you have a problem so great that you have to so humble yourself. I have; I have prayed all day and all night and all day the next day and all night the next night, not always on my knees but praying constantly for a blessing that I needed most. (The Improvement Era, October 1966, p. 898.)

Boyd K. Packer said, Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer. What could be wrong? It may be that you are not doing anything wrong. It may be that you have not done the right things long enough. Remember, you cannot force spiritual things.Sometimes we are confused simply because we won't take no for an answer. (Ensign, November 1979, p. 21.)

4. ANSWER:

After we have prepared ourselves and done “the right thing long enough,” the answers will come: “And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.” (Enos 1:5,6) I think we must have a great faith in the willingness of the Lord to speak to us. Joseph Smith said, “It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another . . .” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345)

*** Taken from the lessons of Ted L. Gibbons of LDSLiving.com