Be still and know

One of the reoccurring messages of the Old Testament is "I am God." He wants us to remember who is in charge and where our blessings come from.

There is a beautiful song by Alex Boye called "Be Still and Know." It is reminiscent of two scriptures where the Lord reminds us, "Be still and know I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

President Corbridge always reminded us that the work we are about is the Lord's and no one else's. Often, we get things mixed up in life and our priorities get out of whack.

Today in Sunday School the Bishop taught a lesson entitled "There is more to life than eating grapes." It was a wonderful lesson about remembering the basics and that the Lord knows what we need.

Often we get caught up that an answer is a "Sunday School Answer"... Think about that. What is a Sunday School Answer? What are some of those answers you can think of?

Some we came up with are:
Prayer
Obedience
Read scriptures
Attendance to meetings
Repentance

Since they are "Sunday School Answers," how are you doing with them? Are they really so basic and unnecessary to talk about? Are you casual with them?

Bishop asked us to stand up and he asked, "What leg do you put in your pants first when you are getting dressed?" Does it take you a minute to think about it? Do you know? Do you pay attention?

When we do things, do we realize what we are doing?

Why don't we pay more attention?

In our world, there are things that loose their importance if we do not work to make them a habit. Our priorities get skewed and we loose the value of the things the Lord has commanded us to do.

Interestingly enough, these are things that will bring happiness into our lives. One brother put it so well by saying, "My life is happier when I open the scriptures and study them."

In 2 Nephi 4, Lehi councils his family and later dies. A few days after his death Laman and Lemuel start being nerds and Nephi talks about the things that make him happy.

"And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children."

In our scripture study do we ponder and delight? Do we allow the scriptures to work on us and touch our soul?

The Lord further councils us in the Doctrine and Covenants "that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures."

How often to we devote time to study the scriptures? When we are not pondering on those things we are reading, we are only reading.

Our prayers are the same. When we pray and get caught in vain repetitions, they become just words. The Zoramites had a problem with this. They all gathered at Rameumptom and offered up the same prayers "thanking their God... that he did not lead them away" in bad traditions "and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come..."

Their prayers were not bad, but the problem comes when they returned home "never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again."

How often to we get caught in the motions? Do we partake of the Sacrament on Sunday, not thinking about it, or our covenants, again until the next Sunday?

Amulek, a few chapters later, teaches about prayer saying "may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you."

He goes on to teach us that we must cry to the Lord, not mattering where we are; and we must humble ourselves "and continue in prayer unto him."

After all he teaches, Amulek says "this is not all." Furthermore, we must pour out our souls and let our hearts "be drawn in prayer unto him continually."

Then still, "do not supposed this is all." We must further take care of, and pray for, those who are in need. Because "I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith."

Ouch!

Prayer is detail, thought and true worship to Him who has given us everything we have.

Furthermore, are we letting our pride get in the way of our progression? Are there things we need to fix in our lives? "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;
"Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven"

The Lord is waiting for us to catch up and realize there is a way back home. He loves us enough to have given his Son to pay the ultimate price. For "if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

When we chose to leave things unrepented, we are basically telling Christ his sacrifice wasn't necessary. Will we let our pride get in the way of eternal happiness?

In Luke, the Lord said, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

He goes on to talk about those who are obedient and compares them to those who build their house upon a rock and it survives the storms that come. Those who chose not to do what the Lord says suffer because they build their house upon sand and get washed away.

Who will you be? Where will you build?

The Lord knows what he is doing and he is unchanging. As much as we want our answers to change sometimes, they won't for our benefit.

As much as we look at things sometimes and say they are "Sunday School Answers," they are necessary to building who we truly are.

"These are the things that make us worthy to have the Holy Ghost," sister Blair said.

How right she is. The small things will lead to great things and help us earn the promised blessings that can be ours.

President Hinckley said, "Somehow, among all who have walked the earth, we have been brought forth in this unique and remarkable season. Be grateful, and above all be faithful."