Enos

I LOVE the book of Enos. It has always been my favorite to teach in Seminary and Sunday School. It is, first of all, a lesson in prayer: how to pray, the purpose of prayer, and the blessings of prayer.

The first thing that always impresses me is that Enos had to find his own testimony. His father was a PROPHET! Most of us don't have a father with that kind of faith. He had angels minister to him and he had SEEN the Lord and talked to Him!

Still, Enos had to have his own 'wrestle before God' to receive a remission of his sins.

It began with
1. He really WANTED an answer. He says his 'soul hungered'.
2. remembering the words his father had taught. Granted, his father was a master teacher, but it was still up to Enos to listen to those words.
3. He pondered them and decided to try them for himself.
4. He set aside the time.
5. He found a place where he could be alone and unhurried.
6. Then he poured out his heart and kept doing it until he got an answer. I suppose if an answer had not come within 2 days, he would have continued praying for as long as it took.
7. After he got an answer to (1) his prayers and felt SO MUCH BETTER, he began to (2) pray for his loved ones. After getting an answer for that, he(3) prayed for his enemies, then (4) for the will of God to come to pass. This is the process of the growing love of God in our hearts.

I was teaching this in Gospel Doctrine once and a man commented that he has a hard time praying for even five minutes. At the time I felt sorry for him, but now I realize how typical that is and feel the same. How do you pray all day and all night without 'multiplying words'? How many different ways can you ask for forgiveness or any other answer to prayers? I would have loved to hear him pray. I hope to meet Enos some day. He is definitely one of my heroes!