JOY UNSURPASSING

 

I have been of late fascinated with the people in the Book of Mormon who were overcome by the spirit to the point where it exceeded their physical strength and caused unconsciousness: Alma, Ammon, Lamoni, his wife, their servants….(Alma 19:6; 14; 27:17; 36:16-21). It would seem this phenomenon is linked with conversion and I think this is so because when we are being converted to the truth, we are inviting and receiving Christ into our hearts. Alma testified of this when he described his conversion experience at the onset of which he said: “I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me….” (Alma 36:18). If you look at each instance of this separation of body and spirit that happened in the scriptures I have quoted, you will see that one particular word is mentioned in each.

In his reflection on the missionary success of the sons of Mosiah, Alma explains what this word is that overwhelms a person: “Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my JOY” (Alma 29:16). Once again, this joy is linked to the conversion that the sons of Mosiah had success with in their labours.

In D&C 11:13, the Saviour tells us that joy comes through the medium of His spirit; in 52:43, He tells us that He will crown the faithful with joy; in 93:33 and 138:17, He tells us that resurrection will give us a fulness of joy; and then in 101:36, the ultimate promise: “Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in ME your joy is full”. This suggests that being in His presence, resurrected and sanctified, will give us the fulness of joy. I don’t know that we, in our present, mortal state, can even comprehend this state of joy that awaits us. This will be joy un-surpassing.

Last Sunday, I woke up at dawn and memories of my conversion flooded my soul instantly. Perhaps because of my contemplation of this subject. These memories stayed with me most of the day. I reflected over and over on the day I was baptized at the tender age of 18. The minute I was raised out of the water I was so overcome with the spirit that I burst into tears. Reflecting on my journey in the Gospel filled my heart with such joy that I wept most of the day. I recalled the many spiritual moments I have had over the years and many revelations and even memories from my pre-existence and how they all lifted me and grounded my testimony in spiritual awakening. The spirit would not leave me all day on Sunday and I felt I was at heaven’s gate. 

You met me at dawn

With my memories so vast;

I remembered coming to You

Long ago through the water’s gate,

So wide open for my soul to embrace.

 

You flowed through my heart since that day

Showing me the wonder of You;

I have seen Your agonising sacrifice,

Never to be erased.

I hear You, I am Your sheep,

I know You and Your sacrificial pains,

For the believing blood of Israel

Runs through my veins.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Find Perfect Joy by B. Laura Wilson)

OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER

 

The legendary missionary labours of the sons of Mosiah are worthy of admiration. I came to Alma 17 in my Book of Mormon study today and was overcome with the spirit of these men. It is mind blowing to think that they would choose to engage in missionary labours with a hostile, wild, hardened and a ferocious people who delighted in murdering the Nephites (v14). Besides their miraculous conversions and new found testimonies, I can see another reason why they would do so.

When the sons of Mosiah approached their father for permission to engage in their missionary labours, they did so with a desire to ‘impart the word of God to their BRETHREN the Lamanites’ (Mosiah 28:1).  Mormon mentions that they desired to be instruments in the hands of God to bring ‘their BRETHREN the Lamanites’ to the knowledge of the truth (Alma 17:9). He also mentions the Lord’s admonition to them to ‘go forth among the Lamanites, thy BRETHREN’ to establish His word (v 11). It is easy to see that the recognition of the Lamanites as their ‘brothers’ fueled the motivation for such a dangerous mission.

Another thing of importance that struck me this time around studying Alma 17 is the principle of fasting. Not only did these men do it as a means of obtaining revelation and prophecy but that they might bring their brethren to the knowledge of the truth (v 3, 9). In other words, they also fasted for those who they would teach, for their hearts to be opened,  because they understood that those they served held strong beliefs (see Introduction to Alma 17-22, Institute Student Manual).

Elder M Russell Ballard said something that pricked my soul in regards to fasting for the unbelievers: “In gospel-sharing homes we pray for guidance for ourselves, and we pray for the physical and spiritual well-being of others. We pray for the people the missionaries are teaching, for our acquaintances, and for those not of our faith. In the gospel-sharing homes of Alma’s time, the people would ‘join in FASTING and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God (Alma 6:6)” (In Conference Report, Apr 2006, 88; or Ensign May 2006, 85). I do not think I have ever fasted in this way since my mission. This, my friends, is being ‘our brother’s keeper’.

Before the Saviour began His mission He fasted for 40 days (Luke 4:2; Matt 4:1,2). No doubt He was tutored, strengthened, received instruction and was apprised of what to expect during his Atonement but I somehow cannot help but believe that He also fasted for His ‘brethren’…..that they might receive His message, believe His words, and accept Him and the salvation He brought. The sacrifice for the unbelieving, the wicked, the unrepentant, the hostile, the highly iniquitous, did not deter Christ from His appointed mission, not even at the peril of His life, which in the end He freely gave. Why did He do it? Because, besides wanting to preserve His Father's glory, He is His brothers' keeper......

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus of Nazareth by Greg Olsen)

UNDERSTANDING ISAIAH

 Imagine being a prophet, a writer and a poet. Now imagine that your revelations and literary works are so great that Jesus Christ himself issues a command that they should be studied and understood. Jesus quoted Isaiah more frequently than any other prophet. He issued the following edict to all who would be his true disciples: ".....a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 23:1). The operative word in this commandment is to 'search'. To search something means having the intent to find and discover. This takes reading Isaiah to another level. Most people do not like reading Isaiah because quite simply, they do not understand what it is they are reading. Even Nephi of old recognized this predicament. Even though he and his family came from the same geographical area and lived in the same general time period as did Isaiah, Nephi acknowledged that Isaiah was hard for many of his people to understand (2 Nephi 25:1). Nephi loved the teachings of Isaiah and quoted him a lot because he wanted his people to know what he knew regarding his prophecies. For this reason he provided a formula for comprehending Isaiah's writings which is found in 2 Nephi 25:1,4,7. Here Nephi instructs us that we need to:

• Understand 'the manner of prophesying among the Jews'. This manner of prophecy can best be learnt through scriptures and their commentaries: "The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the New Testament - provide quotations and commentaries from 42 of the 66 chapters in the current text of Isaiah. There are also allusions and paragraphs from eight of the other 24 chapters. Thus Isaiah is broadly commented upon by these three sources. No more reliable or enlightening sources are available, and Latter-Day Saints would do well to search these scriptural commentaries along with the book of Isaiah itself to obtain a deeper and fuller understanding of the great words of Isaiah."(Monte S. Nyman, Great Are The Words of Isaiah, GospeLink 2001). Regarding the Book of Mormon, Bruce R. McConkie said: "The Book of Mormon is the world's  greatest commentary on the book of Isaiah. And may I be so bold as to affirm that no one, absolutely no one, in this age and dispensation has or does or can understand the writings of Isaiah until he first learns and believes what God has revealed by the mouths of his Nephite witnesses as these truths are found in that volume of holy writ of which he himself swore this oath: "....as your Lord and your God liveth it is true." (D&C 17:6, Ensign Oct. 1973, p. 81)

• Be 'filled with the spirit of prophecy'. In Alma 17:2-3, we are told that the sons of Mosiah had the spirit of prophecy because they had 'searched the scriptures diligently' and 'had given themselves to much prayer and fasting'. This gives us a perfect formula along with teachings of modern day prophets who have expounded the scriptures and have given new scriptures to the world gives. In particular, "the Prophet Joseph Smith was divinely called to declare God's word to this generation and his writings and teachings should be considered scripture (D&C 5:10). The book Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, a compilation of many of the doctrinal teachings of Joseph Smith, contains at least 35 quotations, paraphrases and commentaries on the text of Isaiah." (Monte S. Nyman, Great Are the Words of Isaiah, GospeLink 2001);

• Live in the days when the prophecies of Isaiah are fulfilled. This is probably the most important one but yet the most overlooked. It is of great importance that we recognise fulfillment of prophecies to gain proper appreciation and testimony of them. Nephi declared that "in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass" (2 Nephi 25:7). One evidence of this is the fulfillment of a prophecy in chapter 29 of Isaiah concerning a sealed book being taken to a learned man. As Latter-day Saints we know that this fulfillment came through Joseph Smith. Non-LDS scholars, however, are still pondering the meaning of this chapter. Personally, it astounds me to read of events of our day that have been written about so long ago and this particular one about the Book of Mormon is a classic.

One cannot read and study Isaiah without feeling his passionate plea to the House of Israel to come unto their God. We cannot help but see the admonition to repent and turn to Him who longs to forgive us and to encircle us in the arms of His love. How can we not know Him when we read: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:3-5). And how can we not trust Him when we hear Him say: "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10). When scriptures such as these help us find the Saviour of the world, we will come to proclaim with Him, "Great are the words of Isaiah".