THE POWER OF DESIRE

 

Star Stretching by Eva Koleva Timothy

Alma of the Book of Mormon taught that God grants unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto salvation or unto destruction (Alma 29:4). Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught our desires affect our personal development and eventually determine our eternal blessings:

“Desires…become real determinants, even when, with pitiful naivete, we do not really want the consequences of our desires….therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.

“Righteous desires need to be relentless, therefore, because, said President Brigham Young, ‘the men and women who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day’ (in Journal of Discourses, 11:140. Therefore, true Christian soldiers are more than weekend warriors…

“Remember, brothers and sisters, it is our own desires which determine the sizing and the attractiveness of various temptations. We set our thermostats as to temptations. Thus educating and training our desires clearly requires understanding the truths of the gospel, yet even more is involved. President Brigham Young confirmed, saying, ‘it is evident that many who understand the truth do not govern themselves by it; consequently, no matter how true and beautiful truth is, you have to take the passions of the people and mould them to the law of God’ (in Journal of Discourses, 7:55).

-          Neal A. Maxwell, According to the Desire of our Hearts, in CR Oct 1996, Ensign Nov 1996

I have for a long time now believed that our righteous desires come with us into mortality because they are God given. They correspond with God’s plan for our development, growth and work we have been sent here to do. If those desires align with Gospel principles then we can be assured they are innate desires ‘trailing clouds of glory coming from God’…..

If our desires closely match with the values of the world, we can be assured they will not lead us to God. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes warn about such desires extensively:

Proverbs 21:25: The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

Proverbs 21:26: He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

Ecclesiastes 5:10: He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

Ecclesiastes 11:9: acknowledges that people feel drawn to follow their ‘heart’ and ‘eyes’, but adds accountability: ‘walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. In other words, because what you wish for.

Proverbs 14:12 gives a stark warning that desires that feel right in the moment can lead somewhere dark: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”.

Proverbs 11:19 stands in contrast to the destination of death: “As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.

This is my testimony of the power of desire. For years and years I could only really see the Saviour in my mind as I studied the scriptures and lived the Gospel. Then only a few years ago all of a sudden the Saviour took the back seat and I could see the Father and my longing for Him became uppermost in my mind. I wanted to be with Him, remember Him as I knew Him from my premortal life, and live by His side forever. On some days the desire to be in His presence was so strong I would shed tears. This, of course, is the way it is meant to be. The Saviour came to reveal the Father to us. I could write pages about this based on scripture (see Jeffrey R. Holland’s conference talk “The Grandeur of God” October 2003).

I noticed something very significant after I came to desire the presence of the Father. Obedience became a much easier road to be on. I was elevated in the direction I should go that would lead me to where I wanted to be. I realised desire is the great motivator.  If the desire is strong enough, we will do anything to fulfil it. The destination is the focal point to remember.

Proverbs 10:24: The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE WISH

 

O that I were an angel, and could have

The wish of mine heart,

That I might go forth and speak

With the trump of God,

With a voice to shake the earth,

And cry repentance unto every people!

(Alma 29:1)

Is there a more poetic scripture in the Book of Mormon than this?

Alma affirmed that God grants unto men according to their desire (Alma 29:4). Consider the process of fulfilment of desires and how they affect our personal development and eventually determine our eternal blessings:

“Desires….become real determinants, even when, with pitiful naivete, we do not really want the consequences of our desires…..therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity….Righteous desires need to be relentless, therefore, because, said President Brigham Young, ‘the men and women, who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day’ (in Journal of Discourses, 11:14). Therefore, true Christian soldiers are more than weekend warriors…..” (Neal A. Maxwell, “According to the Desire of Our Hearts”, October 1996 GC)

It is clear that educating and cultivating our righteous desire means doing everything possible that is our part in its fulfilment. The cultivation of Alma’s desire began with something extremely personal – born out of his own painful repentance and godly sorrow, Alma came to sorrow greatly and continually for the sins of the people (Alma 7:5; 8:10,14; 31:1,2,30,31; 35:15). This sorrowing evolved into relentless missionary service so much so that ‘he could not rest’ when his sons went to preach ‘and he also went forth’ (Alma 43:1). I am also certain that his personal spiritual preparation was such that the time came for him to be given to speak with the tongue of angels (2 Nephi 32:2).

Alma’s desire to be an angel preaching repentance was no doubt realised past his natural mortal life. We are told that he was translated, even like Moses ‘to be a ministering angel unto many planets’ until the time of resurrection (Alma 45:18,19; Deuteronomy 34:5,6; Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:210)

Alma, who was once one of the 'very vilest of sinners' (Mosiah 28:4) became Alma who led the Nephite armies in battle, who sat naked with Amulek in dungeons, who was spat upon by the unrepentant, who dumbfounded an anti-christ, who baptised thousands of souls unto repentance (Alma 4:4,5), and who the Lord in the end took up unto himself (Alma 45:19).  This is where Alma’s wish of the heart took him.

 

ODE TO ALMA:

He stood between you

And the gaping jaws of hell,

He cherished your soul

And snatched you from everlasting

Misery of the damned.

He planted the seed of faith

In your willing heart

But you, you tilled the ground

And nurtured the tree of faith

Growing the fruit, so exquisite and sweet.

So heavy in your overflowing arms

You sought to feed the spiritually maimed.

He who stood at the gates of Hell

Your soul to save

Gathered the fruit,

Your path to His throne to pave.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: O That I Were An Angel by Jay Bryant Ward)

FATHER ABRAHAM

 

I could write pages about Abraham. He is my favourite patriarch. And so he should be to everyone who receives the Gospel as by virtue of the Abrahamic covenant we are counted as his children (Abraham 2:10). He is the father of the faithful who obey the mandate to ‘do the works of Abraham’ (D&C 138:41; 132:32). In this respect it should be our quest to know him.

Right at the beginning of his record in the Pearl of Great Price, Abraham tells us who he is. A man is as good as his desires for desire is the catalyst of all good and bad works. These are the desires that Abraham had from the very beginning of his life:

To have the blessings of the priesthood; to possess great knowledge; to be a greater follower of righteousness; to be a father of many nations; to be a prince of peace; to receive instructions from on high; to keep the commandments of God. (Abraham 1:2)

The fact that he harboured these righteous desires in an apostate family that turned away from God through idolatry blows my mind. And here is one hint how these desires could have been born….Abraham was reading scriptures. Whilst still in the land of Ur he had somehow obtained the Book of Remembrance wherein wrote the earlier patriarchs and all inspired people called of God such as the people of Enoch (Moses 6:5; 46; Abraham 1:31). A good proof that we become what we invest ourselves in.

Another important factor in his quest for righteousness is the fact that he rubbed shoulders with the right crowd. Through modern revelation we learn that Abraham received his priesthood from Melchizedek. Most students of scripture assume that this ordination happened when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek in Palestine (Genesis 14:19-20).

Abraham however clarifies this by saying that he became a High Priest in the land of Chaldeans, at the residence of his father (Abraham 1:1-2). Nowhere else in scripture do we find details of that ordination but considering the apostate condition of the land of Chaldeans, it is easy to assume that Abraham had contact with Melchizedek during his early manhood and that Melchizedek had strong influence upon Abraham. One clue is the fact that one of his desires was to become a ‘prince of peace’, as we know Melchizedek was known to be (Alma 13:18).

All of Abraham’s righteous desires were granted by God. These desires took him to a life of such righteousness that he has already been granted his exaltation (D&C 132:28-37). And this is where we want to be. Whereas I appreciate the generations of my family that went before me, I give thanks for one exemplary progenitor, the true father of my heart, Father Abraham.

 

When in heaven we meet

Knit together under the covenant

Of your name

Will you consider us your children

Will we in your heart forever remain?

 

Will you gather us in your arms

And kiss us each as

Your long-awaited son?

Will your heart then rest

When at last we are one?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

SEEKING GOD

 

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

“What then, are we to do, if we are thus to seek him with all our hearts? First, we must DESIRE to find God above all other desires. IF we want to seek God until we find him, even if we want eternal life – all these things can be ours, if we desire them, so long as we do not desire other things more. We show what we really want by what we DO, not just by what we SAY.

“Whatever it is we want so much, we are likely some day to have it. Not only will the righteous desires of our hearts be granted, the unrighteous desires of our hearts will also be granted. Over the long run, our most deeply held desires will govern our choices, one by one and day by day, until our lives finally add up to what we have really wanted.

“Next, we must live worthy of having the Lord’s spirit near to us. Brigham Young said: “pray for the Lord to inspire your hearts. Ask for wisdom and for knowledge, It is our duty to seek after it. Let us seek and we shall find…..” (“Journal of Discourses”, 1:20)

-          Elder Bruce C. Hafen, “The Believing Heart”  p 22-3

 

When I seek You; I find You.

When I look for You; You are there.

When I lay my petitions before You,

You fill my heart with joy.

You are my staff of life,

The sustenance of my soul,

You are my all.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Dayspring by Jay Bryant Ward)

DESIRES

 

“A knowledge of the plan of happiness can help you through the difficult times and you can face problems you otherwise could not endure.

“For example: Some years ago a president of a student stake asked if I would counsel with a young couple. The stalwart young man and his lovely wise had recently been told, with some finality, that they would never have children of their own. They were heartbroken as they sobbed out their disappointment. What they wanted most in life….they now were to be denied.

“I consoled them as best as I could and offered comfort that really was insufficient. As they were leaving the office, I called them back and said: “You are a very fortunate and very blessed couple.” They were startled and asked why I would say such a thing as that.

“I answered: “Because you want them. In the eternal scheme of things that will be of inestimable and eternal value.”  The Lord has said that He “will judge all men according to their works, according to the desires of their hearts (D&C 137:9). Many people now do not want children or want few of them or consider them a burden rather than a blessing. They were a very blessed young couple.

“When you understand the plan, you can cope with challenges in life which otherwise would be unbearable.”  (President Boyd K. Packer, The Play and the Plan, CES fireside 7 May 1995 in Kirkland, Washington)

This life is a life where we find out what it is that we really want. How we live the Gospel is a good indication of what that is. Imagine if all our desires were fulfilled in this life. How many of us would abandon our journey to a glorious eternity?

“Abraham’s desires led him to God, to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the priesthood, to the covenants of salvation, and to a life in which the Lord promised to lift Abraham from a mortal, fallen world. He was promised the happiness of being an eternal parent responsible for worlds and countless children.

“The “covenantal lifting” of Abraham came as he was willing to sacrifice the things of this world, showing to the Lord that he wanted to be like God more than he desired the treasures of the world or life itself.” (Jerry A. Wilson, The Great Plan of Happiness, p 61)

Abraham has now ‘entered into his exaltation and sits upon his throne’ (D&C 132:29). First the probation, then the desires of our hearts……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Hope Deferred by Chris Brazelton)