Consider this:
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. And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, 1 Nephi 1.7–8
Cause and effect. First: he was overcome by the spirit. Second, he had a vision.
But that’s not how the vision came. First, it began with prayer.
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. 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. 1 Nephi 1.5–6
So here’s the order:
- Lehi listens to prophets that Jerusalem will be destroyed (4)
- Lehi prays for his people, hoping they won’t be (5)
- Lehi sees a pillar of fire, sees many things (6)
- Lehi returns home (assumes he’s not home), and is overcome with what he saw (7)
- Lehi then has another, more pronounced vision (8)
What a way to start off the Book of Mormon: this is a book about personal revelation, written by people who had revelations, and it teaches us the pattern. In this case, we care about others. When we do, the heavens open as we pray.
We prob won’t have visions, but we will have the spirit.
I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more 2 Nephi 28.30
_________________________
Bryan lives somewhere at the intersection of faith, fatherhood, and futurism and writes about tech, books, Christianity, gratitude, and whatever’s on his mind. If you liked reading, perhaps you’ll also like subscribing: