Praying in the Mountains

In Ether Chapter 12 starting in verse 18 the brother of Jared goes into the mountain to pray to the Lord. The first question that came to mind was if the brother of Jared actually spoke his entire prayer our loud. Sure the prayer is in quotes here, but it does seem that he did give the entire prayer vocally.

He uses the phrase “O Lord” to address his audience God in his prayer. This specific word choice is used repeatedly to show his reverence and respect for whom he is addressing. He also begins by asking several questions. This is important because one of the main purposes of praying is to receive answers. It’s impossible to receive answers to questions if you don’t ask them. While this may seem obvious, it is something that can get overlooked in prayer by lots of gratitude. The brother of Jared was very direct, and made his purpose very clear to the Lord. This shows that he is confident and that he has great faith in receiving answers to his prayers.

This prayer is also clearly a conversation, with the Lord not only giving answers, but asking the brother of Jared questions as well. So while the prayer is formal and respectful, it is still relaxed enough so that the brother of Jared remains part of the conversation and isn’t overshadowed by the Lord. This is a great example to us as individuals in our own prayers. Not only is it important for us to pray, but we should talk with the Lord. We need to be open like the brother of Jared to receive the answers that come, but we also need to think for ourselves and act based on what we get out of our prayers.