Do I have Great Desires?

1 Nephi 2:16 Nephi had GREAT DESIRES to know the mysteries of God. The first thing we need to be able to 'know the mysteries of God' is the have GREAT DESIRES. We can't just wnat it or have a casual interest in the Church or in God and His dealings (or His way of proceeding) with men. It needs to be GREAT DESIRES to know.

Then when we pray, it needs to not just be a casual prayer. Nephi says he "cried unto the Lord." In Spanish, he "clame", which is what Enos did.

I would think that if Nephi had GREAT DESIRES and was desirous to CLAMAR to the Lord, that is evidence that his heart was in the right place. But after his GREAT DESIRES, and then acting upon those desires (Because we aren't blessed for our desires, but for what we do with them) an then crying to the Lord, his HEART WAS SOFTENED. so he believed his father's words.

I've always believed the prophet's words without any effort  - but if I had GREAT DESIRES and then acted on them by CRYING OUT to God, my heart could be softened.

Many times in the Scriptures it talks about people whose hearts are hardened. It is probably a characteristic of the natural man that we all need to overcome - to have our hearts softened.

In verse 16, Nephi shows us how. It requires great effort. It is not a prayer at the side of the bed where we thank God for our many blessings and ask for the "things that Thou seest that we stand in need of." But rather a great effort of sincere prayer, crying out to know the ways of God, with great desires to do His will after we learn it.

I need to strive to increase my desires to know and increase my efforts that I put into my prayers to be stronger; then increase my desires to do His will after I learn it.