Faith-Building Experiences

by Autumn Dickson

We have now moved into the book of Ether. Though the people described in the book of Ether occurred before the rest of The Book of Mormon, this record was inserted towards the end of The Book of Mormon. Moroni was the one who worked to add these plates to the records that had been kept by the Nephites. Though the book of Ether ends in tragedy, there are also recorded stories of extremely righteous people.

The brother of Jared was one such righteous person. After a series of experiences led by the hand of the Lord, the brother of Jared had the veil removed from his eyes and he was able to behold the Lord.

Ether 3:13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

The brother of Jared achieved the end that we should seek. He was redeemed from the fall and brought back into the presence of God. I often speak about how heaven can be experienced on earth. I’m convinced that this is yet another aspect of heaven that we can receive before we cross over to the other side. The Lord isn’t waiting for us to die before He redeems us from the fall and pulls us back into His presence; He is merely waiting for us to be prepared.

The book of Ether is one of my favorite books of scripture because on a minute, digestible scale, the Lord teaches us the kind of experiences we need to have in order to be prepared for what He wants to give us as soon as we are ready. There are many events and principles experienced by the brother of Jared in preparation to receive the Lord. I won’t be able to cover all of them. However, let’s cover a couple of the experiences that build enough faith for the Savior to take full effect in the life of an individual.

Observing, listening, and asking

As Jared and his brother watched the people around them building the Tower of Babel, they grew concerned. They were in the midst of wickedness. Jared asked his brother to pray to the Lord for deliverance from the confounding of languages. The Lord did so. This is something that is often natural. Something frightening is happening around us, and we want to be protected from it. As the Lord shows up repeatedly, our faith builds in His abilities and desire to take care of us.

But there’s another part of this story that I think comes less naturally. It’s no less important; it just tends to require a bit of extra conscious effort. Not only does Jared ask his brother to pray to the Lord to avoid the language problem, but he specifically asks the following.

Ether 1:38 And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance.

This request from Jared is a little bit different than the other one. It’s different from the time that Lehi and his family were warned by the Lord to flee Jerusalem. This extremely specific question indicates a spiritual maturity in Jared. When I read that verse, I see how the Holy Ghost has been whispering to Jared, hinting at future events and actions that need to take place. Not only does Jared ask, “Should we leave?” Jared sensed that there was something prepared for his family, and proactively worked to achieve that end.

I think it’s important to understand that each of us has somewhere we need to be. Maybe it’s not a specific location or job or ward. Maybe it’s not a specific park at a specific time to meet a specific person who needs our specific help. However, we all made promises before we came here. Understanding that can help us to proactively seek out any steps we might be missing. It helps us work to be anxiously engaged.

A few years ago, I watched my husband’s assumed and hoped-for future taken away from him. And though I knew it was important to let him deeply grieve what he had lost, the Spirit was whispering to me that there was somewhere else he needed to be to fulfill the promises he had made before coming here. I could feel it so clearly. It took years, but we’re starting to see the path he’s been led to.

We are not the Lord’s prophet. We do not have jurisdiction over the church, to guide it and receive revelation about where to take it. But we do each have a jurisdiction, even if it’s just in our families. I believe there are sacred times in our lives where the Lord will whisper to us about future events; He will whisper to us that we should make proactive changes that will take us places we would otherwise miss. Being prepared to receive those small-scale prophesies on behalf of our families increases faith. And it is faith that prepares us to be redeemed from the fall.

We see the opposite side of this, when Jared and his family were not being proactive. The families went as far as the seashore, pitched their tents, and they simply stopped. They stayed there for four years. Maybe they completely forgot the Lord and didn’t call on Him at all. Maybe they simply got distracted in the midst of trying to survive, and they stopped listening for the next steps they needed to take. They didn’t go anywhere. They weren’t moving forward. They were living, but they weren’t moving.

It’s important to note that following the path the Lord would have you take isn’t always super clear. There have been plenty of times in my life where I felt really insecure about where I was supposed to be. There have been plenty of times that things have felt blank, and He hasn’t been telling me anything. I have learned that sometimes we’re already on the right path, and He doesn’t need to change anything so He doesn’t say anything. Just because you’re not directly feeling those whisperings doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. I’m not telling you that you’re messing up if you haven’t felt those whisperings. I’m trying to encourage you to develop that open stance towards the Lord. I’m trying to encourage you to direct your eyes toward Him, make decisions about what you want in life, and keep an ear open in case He has something to add. Sometimes He is leading us quietly towards those promises we made without whispering ahead of time. The key is to be the kind of person who’s listening so He can easily speak.

Obeying and planning

After building the barges and coming across two new obstacles, the brother of Jared once again turns to the Lord. He asks how they’ll be able to get air and how they’ll be able to get light. The Lord teaches the brother of Jared what to do in order to get air, and the brother of Jared obeys. He then asks the Lord once again about the light.

This time the Lord responds differently. He asks the brother of Jared what he wants the Lord to do for him. The brother of Jared decides to prepare stones for the Lord to touch and light up. The Lord acquiesces.

These are two principles that I paired together hoping that the contrast between the two would help us better see them as separate experiences. It’s important to have both kinds of experiences to build our faith. The first is simple obedience. Obedience builds faith because we follow the Lord according to His foreknowledge and later on, when we see the blessings of that obedience, we realize the Lord really does know what He’s talking about. Obedience is taught often. Most of us have an understanding of the principle of obedience.

The second experience is slightly different. It’s not just obedience. The Lord is pushing the brother of Jared to choose for himself. The Lord wants him to solve the problem, and He will provide the support. If you’ve studied child development or parenting styles, you learn just how cool the Lord is.

We have learned that doing everything for our kids can actually cause a lot of problems. When we step in again and again to solve things for them, we’re teaching them that they can’t do it. We’re teaching them that they’re inherently too small or unskilled to handle problems and come up with solutions. The Lord wants us to feel a power within ourselves, a power that is inherently there because we are His children.

I had a friend once express to me that she thought it was pretty sacrilegious to believe that the Lord was trying to exalt us, to push us to grow and develop. She believed we were sent here to simply worship and praise and let Him carry us. I don’t mock this belief; sometimes I think we need more of the belief that He’s willing to carry us more than we allow. However, I want you to imagine these two different parenting styles in a home.

One parent is allowing their kids to struggle and come up with solutions. They’re providing grounds for creativity and offering support as needed. They want this child to grow to be independent, to love themselves and feel capable and confident. They want their child to experience all of the joy that comes with consciously building a full life. They want their child to have everything they have, if not more.

The second parent handles everything. The overarching theme in the home is that the child is simply unworthy and can’t do anything, and mom and dad are just these fantastic people who are going to swoop in and take care of absolutely everything. The idea that the child should grow up independent and capable is actually kind of offensive. The parents should handle everything, and they should be utterly admired for it for the rest of their lives.

I ask you. Which home produces the child who “worships” their parents more? Which child is going to grow up believing that their parents really did give them everything? Which child feels like the parent is focused on them rather than on their own personal, high status?

Being obedient absolutely builds our faith. I will also tell you that the opportunities I’ve had to make decisions and be supported by a loving Father in Heaven has built my faith just as much, if not more, than the simple decisions of obedience. I feel an immense amount of hero-worship and gratitude towards the Lord when He has allowed me to build and create and learn something for myself. I have felt my faith develop as I’ve recognized how my obedience to His word has uplifted, blessed, and protected. I have also felt a tremendous amount of faith develop when I’ve felt Him building me, investing in me. He’s not looking to keep me down and feeling unworthy on some level far below Him. I know I’m unworthy. I know I didn’t earn these gifts He’s giving me. I also know He loves me enough to build me beyond that unworthiness, and I love Him all the more for it.

There are many sacred mini-stories and principles here in the first few chapters of Ether. We have heard of prophetic experiences and visions of the Lord. This is one of those times that we get to watch the brother of Jared move through his life, learning the lessons and building the faith that will prepare him to welcome the Lord into His life.

I testify of a Heavenly Father who loves us. I testify that He wants to lead us through specific life experiences that will build our faith sufficiently that we can be prepared to enter His presence again. I testify that Christ paid for us to come down here and have those specific experiences.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.