Ether 6-11: Prayer and Gratitude

I'm privileged to share some thoughts from the book of Ether today.

While much of Ether 6-11 encompasses greed, treachery, and a line of both good and bad kings, to keep my comments to a reasonable length, I've chosen to focus most of my thoughts on Ether 6, though I do briefly address Ether 7-10. You can focus more on other topics by visiting the Come Follow Me manual.

A painting by Robert T. Barrett depicting Ether 

recording the history of the Jaredites; 

Primary manual 4-54

First, a Recap (Ether 1-5)
Last week, I talked about how the Brother of Jared prayed, and led followers of God to the seashore, where they camped for four years before building barges and preparing to depart for the Promised Land. The Lord had to rebuke the Brother of Jared for camping at the seashore for four years and for not praying for further direction and guidance. I think that seashore seemed "pretty good" to them, and they were tired of traveling, but the Lord had something better in store for them, the Promised Land. To get there, they would need to take a long and rough journey across a vast sea. In other words, they would need to leave the pleasant seashore where they had camped for four years, where things were pretty good, for something a whole lot better than pretty good. 

It May Get Worse Before It Gets Better
I am reminded of the many promises we received from many of our leaders during October General Conference, that things will be better on the other side of tribulation. Some of the assurances given in October 2020 General Conference:

• "Truly, for those faithful hearts and eyes to see, the Lord's tender mercies are manifest amidst life's challenges. Faithfully met challenges and sacrifice do bring the blessings of heaven. In this mortality, we may lose or wait for some things for a time, but in the end we will find what matters most. That is His promise." (Gerrit W. Gong, "All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues")
  
  
• "Our best days are ahead of us, not behind us. That is why God gives us modern revelation! ... Now, this does not mean we won't experience turbulence in our flight through mortality. It doesn't mean there won't be unexpected instrument failures, mechanical malfunctions, or serious weather challenges. In fact, things might get worse before they get better." (Dieter F. Uchtdorft, "God Will Do Something Unimaginable")
  
  
• "Opposition is an essential part of the divine plan for helping us grow, and in the midst of that process, we have God's assurance that, in the long view of eternity, opposition will not be allowed to overcome us. With his help and our faithfulness and endurance, we will prevail. Like the mortal life of which they are a part, all tribulations are temporary." (Dallin H. Oaks, "Be of Good Cheer")

For the Jared, Jared's brother, and their family and friends, it did get worse before it got better. They were stuck in those barges for 344 days, often "buried in the depths of the sea" because of "great and terrible tempests." (Ether 6:6). Yet, the Brother of Jared and his people never forgot their Savior or lost their gratitude.

A Spiritual Prescription: Daily Prayer and Gratitude
In fact, they way they handled their trials is consistent with the guidance that our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, gave on November 20, 2020 last week, regarding the Healing Power of Gratitude. As a man who has lost a first wife and two daughters, and known his share of heartache, he said of gratitude:

Over my nine and a half decades of life, I have concluded that counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems. No matter our situation, showing gratitude for our privileges is a fast-acting and long-lasting spiritual prescription. 

Does gratitude spare us from sorrow, sadness, grief, and pain? No, but it does soothe our feelings. It provides us with a greater perspective on the very purpose and joy of life.

Second, he advised us to pray. He said:  

Second, let us unite in thanking God through daily prayer. Jesus Christ taught His disciples to pray by first expressing gratitude to God and then petitioning Him for the things we need. Prayer brings forth miracles.

The people of Jared were happy because waaaay back then, they were doing the things that the prophet is advising us to do today.

First, they continued to pray. In Ether 6:7 it says, "therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters."

Second, they praised the Lord continually. In Ether 6:9, it says, "... they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord."

In Ether 6:10, it talks about how they had light continually, "whether it was above the water or under the water." From this, I assume that based on previous scriptures about the plugs that could be removed, they either received natural light through the plugs being removed when they were above water, or light from the stones that the Lord touched at the Brother of Jared's request.

This light can be seen both as a literal light and as the Light of Christ. The people of Jared were so focused on gratitude and praising the Lord that they didn't have time to complain about being stuck in a boat for a year. In fact, the first thing they did when they stepped on the shore of the promised land was to "humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them." (Ether 6:12).

Always Remember
Unfortunately, as Jared and his brother grew old, we learn at the end of chapter 6, their many descendants wanted to name a king. Just like King Benjamin in the Bible,  the Brother of Jared was concerned that having a king would lead to the unrighteous desire for power and eventually, "leadeth into captivity." (Ether 6:23).

The story in the next few chapters is an unrelenting cycle of greed vs. good, one we've seen repeated over and over in the Book of Mormon and Bible, of how we lose the way when we forgot God and focus on greed and pride. Kings rose and fell as they used "secret combinations" and dishonest means to rise to power. Fathers and sons threw each other in prison and killed each other to take over kingdoms. Good Kings brought peace to the land. Bad Kings drove the spirit away. Through it all, we see many of the same patterns we've already learned in previous chapters:

1. The Lord loves us all and continues to send prophets to lead and guide. 

"And there came prophets in the. land again, crying repentance unto them - that they must prepare the way for Lord or there should come a curse upon the face of the land ..." (Ether 9:28)

"And in the days of Coriantor there also came many prophets, and prophesied of great and marvelous things, and he cried repentance unto the people, and except they should repent the Lord God would execute judgement against them to their utter destruction." (Ether 11:20)  

2. When we repent and humble ourselves before the Lord, he is waiting and willing to act on our behalf.

"... they began to repent ... and it came to pass that when they had humbled themselves sufficiently before the Lord he did send rain upon the face of the earth; and the people began to revive again." (Ether 9:34-35)

3. We are blessed when we remember.

"... Shez began to build up a broken people. and it came to pass that Shez did remember the destruction of his father, and he did build up a righteous kingdom, for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord ..." (Ether 10:1-2)