“March 23–29. Enos–Words of Mormon: He Works in Me to Do His Will,” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 (2020)
“March 23–29. Enos–Words of Mormon,” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: 2020
Jacob and Enos, by Scott Snow
March 23–29
Enos–Words of Mormon
He Works in Me to Do His Will
As you read Enos through Words of Mormon, look for messages that will be valuable to you or your family.
Record Your Impressions
Enos went to the forest to hunt beasts, but he ended up staying there to pray “all the day long … and when the night came” (Enos 1:3–4). Because his soul was truly hungry to receive a remission of his sins, Enos was willing to pray as long as necessary and even to “wrestle” before God (Enos 1:2). That’s what sincere prayer is: not so much asking for anything we want but a sincere effort to commune with God and align our will to His. When you pray in this way, when your voice has “reached the heavens,” you discover as Enos did that God hears you, and He truly cares about you, your loved ones, and even your enemies (see Enos 1:4–17). In those moments, God can make His will known to you, and you’ll be more willing and able to do His will because you are in harmony with Him. Like Mormon, you may “not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things … [and] he worketh in [you] to do according to his will” (Words of Mormon 1:7).
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
A parent’s words can have a lasting influence.
What messages do these verses have for parents and for children?
My heartfelt prayers will be answered.
Enos’s experience with prayer is one of the most memorable in scripture. Your experiences may be less dramatic, but they don’t have to be less meaningful. Enos’s experiences might reveal ways to improve your prayers. Here are some questions to ponder:
-
What words describe Enos’s efforts as he prayed?
-
What did Enos initially pray for? (see Enos 1:4). What can you learn from Enos’s response after he received an answer? (see Enos 1:5–7).
-
How did Enos act on the answers he received?
-
What can you learn from Enos about how to have “unshaken” faith in the Lord? (Enos 1:11).
The Lord will bless me when I keep the commandments.
One of God’s most repeated promises in the Book of Mormon is that if the Nephites kept the commandments, they would prosper (see 2 Nephi 1:20; Jarom 1:9–12; Omni 1:6). The books of Jarom and Omni show a few ways in which this promise was fulfilled. What do you learn from these accounts that can help you “prosper in the land”?
Who were the people of Zarahemla?
After the Nephites fled the land of Nephi, they discovered a numerous people living in a place called Zarahemla. The people of Zarahemla were descendants of a group of Israelites who, like Lehi’s family, had left Jerusalem and were led by God to the promised land. Among that group was Mulek, one of the sons of Zedekiah, the king of Judah who was captured by the Babylonians in about 587 BC (see Jeremiah 52:1–11; Mosiah 25:2; Helaman 8:21).
After the people of Zarahemla arrived in the promised land, they met Coriantumr (see Omni 1:21), the last known survivor of the Jaredites, whose story is told in the book of Ether.
What is Words of Mormon?
Words of Mormon serves as a bridge between the two sets of plates that make up the Book of Mormon. Here Mormon gives an explanation of these two records, and his words teach an important message about trusting the Lord, even when we don’t fully understand His direction.
As Nephi was writing the record of his people, God directed him to create two sets of plates, called the small plates and the large plates of Nephi. Nephi didn’t know why he was commanded to create two sets of plates, but he trusted that the Lord had “a wise purpose … , which purpose I know not” (1 Nephi 9:5; see also “A Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon”).
Centuries later, as Mormon was abridging Nephi’s large plates, he came across the small plates. The small plates covered many of the same events described in the large plates that Mormon had already abridged, but the small plates focused more on spiritual matters and the ministry and teachings of the prophets. God inspired Mormon to include the small plates of Nephi in his record in addition to the large plates.
Like Nephi, Mormon didn’t understand God’s purpose for having both sets of plates, but he trusted that it was “for a wise purpose” (Words of Mormon 1:7).
Today we know what God’s purpose was. In 1828, after Joseph Smith had translated part of Mormon’s abridgment of Nephi’s large plates (116 manuscript pages), Martin Harris lost those pages. God commanded Joseph not to retranslate this portion because evil men would change the words and try to discredit Joseph (see Doctrine and Covenants 10, section heading; Doctrine and Covenants 10:14–19, 30–45). Thankfully, God had foreseen this and provided the small plates, which covered the same history that was lost with the 116 pages. The small plates compose the books that come before Words of Mormon, and Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates begins after the Words of Mormon.
Mormon Compiling the Plates, by Jorge Cocco
Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening
As you read the scriptures with your family, the Spirit can help you know what principles to emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of your family. Here are some ideas.
Enos 1:1–17
Your family could look at a picture of Enos praying and search Enos 1:1–17 for phrases that could be used as a title for the picture. You could also ask family members to draw pictures of Enos’s experience. What do we learn from Enos about seeking forgiveness?
Jarom 1:2
How has our study of the Book of Mormon “revealed the plan of salvation” to us?
Omni 1:12–22
What do these verses teach about the importance of having the word of God in our lives?
Words of Mormon 1:3–9
How will we be blessed by keeping personal and family records? How can we make our records more focused on Christ?
For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.
Suggested song: “A Child’s Prayer,” Children’s Songbook, 12–13.
Improving Our Teaching
Gather together often. President Henry B. Eyring taught: “Never miss a chance to gather children together to learn of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Such moments are so rare in comparison with the efforts of the enemy” (“The Power of Teaching Doctrine,” Ensign, May 1999, 74).
Enos Praying, by Robert T. Barrett