Book of Mormon 17 - “A Seer … Becometh a Great Benefit to His Fellow Beings”

While studying the scriptures for Lesson 17, four passages made me stop, think, and pray. I wrote down the four themes I had found and I discovered that there were, in actuality, only two main ideas: firstly, the importance of prophets, seers, and revelators; and, secondly, avoiding bondage by being on the Lord’s side.

As a Latter-day Saint, I have access to modern revelation. This is a wonderful reality. I look forward to our bi-annual General Conferences, when we have the opportunity to hear President Monson and the General Authorities. In Mosiah 8:16-18, Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet. He said that a seer can reveal all things: past, present, and future. He said, “things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.” At Conference we hear the Lord himself through His servants: “the will of the Lord…the mind of the Lord…the word of the Lord…the voice of the Lord…the power of God unto salvation” (D&C 68:3-4). When President Monson speaks, he speaks to me. I feel his message and I testify of the power of his words.

In 1994, President Boyd K. Packer gave a remarkable talk entitled, The Father and the Family. He stated, “When we speak plainly of divorce, abuse, gender identity, contraception, abortion, parental neglect, we are thought by some to be way out of touch or to be uncaring. Some ask if we know how many we hurt when we speak plainly. Do we know of marriages in trouble, of the many who remain single, of single-parent families, of couples unable to have children, of parents with wayward children, or of those confused about gender? Do we know? Do we care?...Those who ask have no idea how much we care…Because we do know and because we do care, we must teach the rules of happiness without dilution, apology, or avoidance.”

Elder Boyd K. Packer went on to talk about the crisis of the family. Our General Authorities have been warning us about the decline in family values and the disintegration of the family as a crucial unit for decades. Family Home Evening was instituted in the church over 100 years ago. I know this is one huge mistake I have made. I have tried, in a very haphazard manner, to have regular Family Home Evenings. My first three children were able to enjoy FHE more than my last three. I excused my lack of effort on the grounds the whole family could never be involved. My ex- was a non-member. My excuses were always shallow. I see my inactive children now, and I cannot help but wonder how different things might have been had I persevered in living this directive from the General Authorities.

This leads into the second main idea from this week’s scriptures. In Mosiah 7:29-32 we are presented with two options: either to transgress, stumble, be smitten and afflicted, or to “turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind” and be freed from bondage. My heart breaks when I see the struggles of many of our young people in the church. It is so hard to be a good member and to live in the world. Even active young adults play with fire in their personal and social lives. They transgress and fall into bondage. They develop habits that are destructive and lead to life-threatening addictions. They do all this while looking for happiness. If only they knew. They cannot find happiness while looking in all the wrong places. Happiness is found in obedience to the Lord’s commandments.

I have never understood drinking, getting drunk, and becoming addicted to alcohol. I find alcohol obnoxious. I would never date anyone who drank. My ex- turned his life around when he met me. He came from a heavy-drinking family, and he, himself, drank heavily before meeting me. He respected me enough not to ever come home smelling of alcohol. I hate smelling alcohol on the breath of anyone I love.

I wish I could convince young people of the things I know. In my 58 years on this earth I have never drank alcohol, never drank tea or coffee, and never smoked or taken drugs. I have experienced the promise found in D&C 89:18-20. For those who adhere to the commandments and abide by the Word of Wisdom, they “shall receive health in their navel and marrow in their bones… And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.”

I was only 14 years old when I was sitting my NZ School Certificate exams. I had a Biology exam that was due to start at 9.00 a.m. At 8.15 a.m. I went to the bus-stop to catch my bus to school. I waited… and waited… and waited… getting more nervous as time went past. By 8.45 a.m. I was in a total panic. I stood at the bus stop and prayed. A driver passing by asked me if I knew about the bus strike. I received a strong conviction that I had to start running. I am not, nor have I ever been, a super-fit person. I am not, nor have I ever been, a runner! But, I ran. I ran for half an hour without stopping. I felt powerful and fast. I had the energy to keep going. I knew the Lord was by my side. I got into the exam room at 9.15 a.m. The first thing I heard was an announcement that the delay was over, the exam was now beginning. “You can start writing.” Apparently some exam papers had been misplaced and had been found. The exam was delayed just long enough for me to get there. Now, after a half-hour run, at full speed, I should have been exhausted! I wasn’t. I had prayed and I had received a Priesthood blessing from my father. I started the exam. My mind was clear and the answers flowed. At the end of three hours, I heard, “Put your pens down.” On hearing those words, a wave of tiredness overwhelmed me. I felt the exhaustion literally creep through my body. I was so exhausted, I felt nauseous and light-headed. But, the Lord had blessed me for my obedience to the Word of Wisdom. I had run and I had not been weary. I did well, with the Lord’s help.

I had a similar experience when I was a young mum with two small children. I was only 21 years old and I had a twenty-one month old toddler and a baby of six months. I was living in Johannesburg, South Africa, still under the rule of apartheid. There was a lot of racial tension and crime was a fact of life. I was in the car, with my babies, on the way to visit my parents. My car broke down at the side of the road. I was still closer to Alexandra Township (an African township) than I was to my parent’s home in Brixton. I prayed fervently to know what I should do. Again, I felt the prompting to gather up my babies and run. With two babies and several bags, I started to run. I felt strong and pumped with energy. I ran for miles. When I arrived at my parent’s home, they were astonished that I had been able to run even a short distance carrying my load! My dad took me back to my car and we towed it to safety. My life and the life of my babies had been saved through obedience to the Word of Wisdom.

But, young people cannot learn these lessons by proxy. And, unfortunately, the pressures to follow the crowd are unrelenting. 

In Mosiah 9:17-18 and Mosiah 10:19, we hear about Zeniff. Zeniff’s people fought against the Lamanites. As long as they prayed mightily, sought the Lord’s protection, and put their trust in Him, they were able to win their battles against the Lamanites. Zeniff and his people were fighting a physical force, but our young people today are fighting a much more subtle yet still deadly force. Satan and his followers are powerful adversaries. To win their battle, they must have the Lord on their side. This is so hard when their will to resist is weak.

Later we hear about Noah, the son of Zeniff, and how he led his people astray. His “riotous living” displeased the Lord and his people suffered. The comparison between Noah, described in Mosiah 11:1-15, and the prophet Abinadi, described in Mosiah 11:20-25, is striking. Noah was proud and pompous, while Abinadi was humble and a spiritual giant. Abinadi’s words to Noah and his people emphasise the importance of being on the Lord’s side. Abinadi stated that abominations lead to the Lord’s anger and people are delivered into bondage. They need to repent in sackcloth and ashes to gain the Lord’s forgiveness and to start to make amends. The Lord abides by law and justice. If we sin, we must pay the price. However, He has paid for our sins, if we make use of the Atonement and allow His sacrifice to purify our lives. The Atonement gives us hope. I have seen the Atonement work in the lives of those I love. I pray that my inactive children will one day feel the happiness that comes when the Lord is allowed back into their lives, when they can gain forgiveness, and feel the hope and joy of the Atonement.