The Brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord because his faith was so strong that the veil couldn’t hold back his vision. That means that the key to parting the veil is faith. We are all capable of having enough faith that the veil cannot withhold our vision of eternal things. We know this, because God doesn’t love The Brother of Jared any more than he loves each of us, just like a mother or father doesn’t love one child over another. As we seek to remember who we are, and as we seek to feel the Savior next to us during difficult times, we just need to increase our faith. As we increase our faith through practicing faith, we will no longer be held back by the veil.
“As we draw near to Heavenly Father, we become more holy. And as we become more holy, we will overcome disbelief and our souls will be filled with His blessed light. As we align our lives with this supernal light, it leads us out of darkness and toward greater light. This greater light leads to the unspeakable ministerings of the Holy Spirit, and the veil between heaven and earth can become thin.”-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
I believe the Lord touches many stones in our lives, turning on the light while we are deep in the darkness of our sea of trials. We just need to exercise faith, so that we can behold the light.
Growing up, we had 12 children and 2 parents living in a home with 1800 sq feet. The front 500 square feet were used for my dad’s real estate office, leaving 1300 square feet for living space. We had one bedroom that we referred to as the “big bedroom”. This was the bedroom that belonged to the youngest seven kids. This room was so much more than just a place to sleep; it was the room we all played in, it was a school room, a kitchen, and a hospital. The closet reminded me of Narnia–it was never ending. Deep enough that we could all play in it, plus it had shelves to hold each child’s special stuff, and large drawers below for clothes. This room was our saving grace as we all lived in this small house. It never dawned on me while growing up that this room didn’t make any sense. However, years later, when my brother and his family lived in the same house, I spent lots of time, just spinning around in the room, trying to figure out how it all fit. The room is the same size as the other rooms, and even the closet was normal, nothing “Narnia” special. Even the number of bunk beds that once lined the edges of this room, wouldn’t physically fit. It’s impossible. For a long time I kept my crazy thoughts to myself, I must have just remembered it wrong. Then one day I mentioned to my mom how the room seemed so small, and that I remembered it as being bigger. She burst into a laugh cry, as her cheeks filled with streams of tears. She told me that she has spent hours looking at that room, and wondering how everyone fit, until she came to the only conclusion possible, the room was bigger. No one in the entire world has to believe this story, but it’s absolutely true. God touched that room, probably because of sweet, desperate prayers from my parents, and He enlarged that room for us. He sent light in a dark difficult situation. That’s what I am talking about. Recognizing the miracles, big and small. Once we see them, it is as if we see the Lord’s finger is reaching out and touching our lives, shining His light upon us as we sail through our own rough waters.
“Prayer changes our lives. Through it we draw near to the Lord, and he reaches out his finger and touches us, so we never again are the same.” -Bruce R. McConkie
I love how the Lord works! The brother of Jared prayed to ask how they were to have light while on their barges sailing across the enormous ocean. The Lord required the Brother of Jared to think for himself. Did the Lord have the power to create light without the efforts of the brother of Jared? Absolutely! But what would the brother of Jared benefit from the Lord doing the work for him? It is important that we practice praying, working hard to resolve those prayers, and then having faith that the Lord is mindful and capable of guiding us to accomplish our desires. The brother of Jared asked the Lord,“O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?” (Ether 2:22)The Lord’s response is important to remember as we seek for his help.“And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.” (Ether 2:23)
The Lord asked the brother Jared to solve his own problem, and then he let the Lord guide him to a complete solution. I have found this to be a true principle when parenting in order to help the child progress. When helping a child learn math, it is easiest to do the problem for them. However, for them to actually learn the concept so they can move on to a greater level of math, it is best to let them struggle a bit, work hard, and gently give them guidance, so they learn for themselves how to do the problem. As they eventually face more difficult math problems, they will be equipped to know how to figure them out. Heavenly Father wants us to grow and develop so that we can gain wisdom. I don’t know of any better way to gain wisdom than to work. It doesn’t matter how many years of schooling a surgeon has, until he has actually been part of a real surgery, and has progressed to perform his own surgeries, no one is going to want him to cut into them. The Lord knows that on this voyage across the ocean, there are going to be many rough waters, not just on the outside, but on the inside. There could be sickness, hunger, frustrations, rebellions, and many more trials. If the Lord can help the brother of Jared learn to handle tough moments, he will be greater prepared to lead the others on this journey. The brother of Jared did exactly as the Lord asked him to do. He came up with a solution. His solution resulted in hard work.
Ether 1:1 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount
I believe that as he prayed for guidance, he was prompted about what to do and then he followed those promptings with exactness. He climbed to the top of an extremely tall mountain, found the perfect rocks, and then he melted them so that they could be white and clear. I am not a scriptorian, and I do not pretend to understand how tall the mountain was, or how long it would take to heat rock from a mountain until it is white and clear, but I am a strong believer, and I do know that the brother of Jared put forth great effort, both mentally, physically, and spiritually in order to figure out the best way to provide light for all who journeyed with him. He was asked by the Lord to figure it out. I don’t for one minute believe the Lord left him completely alone to figure it out. I believe there was constant prayer, constant guidance, and constant obedience, which all led to the faith that allowed the brother of Jared to see the Lord’s finger. Just the fact that the brother of Jared even asked the Lord to touch the stones and bring light shows that he had been in close communication with the Lord the entire time, and that the brother of Jared was ready for the light to shine forth from his diligent hard work.
Ether 3:4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.
5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.
6 And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.
I believe this is exactly the way that my parents have been blessed by the hand of the Lord time and time again. My parents are people of constant prayer. I am sure that even as they bought the home I referenced earlier–one that was not large in the eyes of the world, but was on a main street, making it possible to have an office and a home together so that my father could be around to help my mother with the family. I imagine they walked in, and with grateful hearts, asked, “How are we going to fit our children in the house?” With a gentle loving voice, I am sure the Lord encouraged them to press forward. Figure it out. They somehow decided to put a triple bunks against the walls. At that point, I could see my parents praying that these beds would fit. Miraculously they fit. I promise the prayers continued, hard work continued, faith grew, and the hand of the Lord touched every part of our lives, enlarging, cooling, and blessing our family all along the way.
Whatever your situation is, just know that the Lord loves you as much as he loved the brother of Jared, and that he will bring the light you are seeking into every situation of your life, even if the voyage you are facing is going to be long and dark. Pray constantly, follow the promptings, work diligently, and be believe. Have faith in the Lord to magnify what you do have, and to strengthen you. Remember, the veil is thin, feel his ever loving embrace, put a smile on your face, a prayer of gratitude in your heart, and go get it done.
“I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work.” -Gordon B. Hinckley
-Sherri Jorgensen
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