Monday, August 8, 2016

Enos

1) Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father had a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel - for he taught me to pray and listen for the spirit - and this sentence shall trail off without a valid predicate...

2) And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, in the which I did strive to feel the spirit for myself.

3) Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning warm fuzzies and a burning in the bosom sunk deep into my heart.

4) And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

5) And I didn't feel anything. Not a single goddamned thing.

6) And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, since he had given me a specific scriptural promise, I knew it was only a matter of time before it was fulfilled.

7) And I offered another twenty-four hour prayer the next time I went hunting, but still no result.

8) And I wondered if it was because I had not sufficient faith in Christ, whom I had never before heard nor seen. I thought I did, but perhaps I was wrong. So I decided to pray for more faith.

9) Now, it came to pass that when I prayed for faith I began to feel an intense desire to feel the spirit, wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for that divine witness.

10) And while I was thus struggling for the spirit, behold, my bosom felt as bland as a rice cake in a bowl of water. And I did begin to wonder if there was something wrong with me.

11) And after I, Enos, had failed in many long strugglings, I decided that it was all a test, and I did double down on my faith in the Lord, that it might be unshaken.

12) And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence for many years, they made me bishop, and I did pretend that I had felt the spirit, for I did not wish to give the youth any reason to doubt.

13) And now behold, I taught the youth that they could ask God for anything in faith, and that he would give unto them liberally. And they thought I said literally, and they began to ask for things like world peace, an end to poverty, and universal human rights. Therefore I had to correct them, and I did say unto them that they were being smart asses, and that they lacked real faith.

14) For at the present my strugglings were vain in restoring them to true faith. And they swore in their wrath that God did not actually answer anyone's prayers, if he existed at all.

15) Wherefore, I came up with an idea to show them. For behold, God had said: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive, ye shall receive it. True, he said this in Matthew 21:22, which hasn't been written yet, but God told us long before he told Matthew.

16) And I had faith, and I did cry unto God in front of all of them that he would preserve our records, but behold, they were smarter than I expected, and they pointed out that I had wasted my breath, for God had already given the exact same promise to our forefathers.

17) And I, Enos, knew that I was simply parroting the teachings I had been raised with.

18) And I wondered if my fathers had also never felt the spirit; but I knew that they must have according to their faith; for their faith was like unto mine.

19) And now it came to pass that I, Enos, went about praying, for I knew that the Lord operated on his own timetable, and meanwhile I testified of things which I had not yet heard, seen, or felt.

20) And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain, for our goal was clearly conversion, not reconciliation, and the Lamanites were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; drinking alcohol; watching porn; eating babies, and all manner of depravity that is inherent in the nature of man, and which can only be tempered by belief in God. And they were continually seeking to destroy us.

21) And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, raise grain, grow gardens, and did keep flocks of all manner of animals that did not exist in the Americas prior to Columbus, namely cattle, goats, and horses. And we did kiss babies, and sing hymns, and we did smile all the fucking day long.

22) And there were exceedingly many prophets among us And the people were a stiffnecked people, contrary to everything I just said.

23) And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, berating, scolding, rebuking, prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord, and all these things lovingly, I say there was nothing short of these things that would keep them from going down speedily to destruction. And we did use the same approach in trying to convert the Lamanites, but behold their hatred towards us only grew.

24) And I saw wars between the Nephites and Lamanites in the course of my days, and could not for the life of me figure out why.

25) And it came to pass that I began to be old, and an hundred and seventy and nine years had passed away from the time that our father Lehi left Jerusalem, and my father Jacob was a very old man when he had me, and that should answer your question before ye even have a chance to ask it.

26) And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having still never felt the spirit. Nevertheless I had spent my days praying, according to the truth which is in our church. And I have sought this witness in all my days, and have been exceedingly patient with God.

27) And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; and I know that in the next life I shall surely feel the spirit, and then I shall have a testimony. I'm pretty sure. And I shall rejoice in that day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and I shall not only feel the spirit, but I shall stand before God, and shall see his face directly, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, thou good and faithful servant. For thy unwavering faith there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. There is no doubt about it. I hope. Amen.

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