Book of Mormon Sunday II- Ether 1-7

The purpose of this reading of the Book of Mormon is to identify and remark upon the strengthening power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The story of the brother of Jared starts with a situation arising from the unrighteousness in the world around the Jaredites. They cry out to God with a specific need and then act in faith.

   Ether 1:34 "And the brother of Jared being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his brother, said unto him: Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared; therefore he did not confound the language of Jared; and Jared and his brother were not confounded."

   "The enabling power of the Atonement of Christ strengthens us to do things we could never do on our own. Sometimes I wonder if in our latter-day world of ease--in our world of microwave ovens and cell phones and air-conditioned cars and comfortable homes--I wonder if we ever learn to acknowledge our daily dependence upon the enabling power of the Atonement"

   Elder Bednar "In the Strength of the Lord"

   The word prepare stands out in the following verse. Preparation has been made for each of us and then as we see what we need he invites us to act in faith make this journey through mortality successful.

    Ether 2:25 "And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. 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?"

   "I frankly do not think many of us "get it" concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities."

  Elder Bednar "In the Strength of the Lord"

 "Brothers and sisters, the implication of this episode for each of us is quite straightforward. As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of the Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed. We will become agents who "act" rather than objects that are "acted upon."

  Elder Bednar "In the Strength of the Lord"