101. The Quiet of the Morning
I love the quiet of the morning
When I kneel to start my day.
As I seek the aid of Heaven
I seem to hear the Spirit say:
“Keep the gospel’s calm within you
As you serve the risen Lord.
As you overcome your earthly cares
You earn His great reward.”
I love the bustle of the daytime,
I find something new each day,
As I struggle with mortality
I seem to hear the Savior say:
“Never fear, nor doubt, my love or care--
I gave my life for you,
And the Spirit’s gentle promptings,
Can guide everything you do.”
I love the restfulness of nighttime
And the close of every day,
When I kneel again in formal prayer
I seem to hear the Father say:
“Sleep well, my son, while angels watch,
And in all you say and do,
As you strive to live like Jesus,
I am always there for you.”
© www.servingjesuspoetry.com
All non-commercial usage allowed.
CONTEXT
(a) Commandment
A recent High Priest Group discussion [I date the piece--we're all in the Elders Quorum now!] inspired the above, in part due to our incomplete consideration of the commandment found in Alma 34:17-27:
"Therefore 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;
Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (Underline added.)
(b) Query
Unfortunately, we did not have time to harmonize the brethren's views as to the last sentence of that passage--was it allegorical, figurative, or metaphorical or was Amulek conveying something beyond allegory.
An authoritative view of 34:27 [which, incidentally, is paralleled in Doc. & Cov. 19:28] was found using a very helpful tool located at scriptures.byu.edu. That provides cross-referencing between the Standard Works and all formal references to scripture by the Lord's apostles and prophets since the Restoration. [There is a free "android app" for the index as well.]
Exploring that site, I found a seemingly dispositive exposition of 34:27 in Elder Francis M. Gibbons' sermon at the General Conference of October 1991, "The Two Aspects of Prayer", where he said, in relevant part: "Thus, when we are not actually engaged in the formal act of prayer, we should always have a prayer in our heart, wherever we are or whatever we are doing." (The entire address merits prayerful study.)
(c) Application
Having confirmed the principal of "two aspects of prayer", one formal and limited and one informal and unceasing, we then must then ask how to "have a prayer in our hearts". This appears to call for further "inquiry of the Lord" [1 Nephi 15:8].
I love the quiet of the morning
When I kneel to start my day.
As I seek the aid of Heaven
I seem to hear the Spirit say:
“Keep the gospel’s calm within you
As you serve the risen Lord.
As you overcome your earthly cares
You earn His great reward.”
I love the bustle of the daytime,
I find something new each day,
As I struggle with mortality
I seem to hear the Savior say:
“Never fear, nor doubt, my love or care--
I gave my life for you,
And the Spirit’s gentle promptings,
Can guide everything you do.”
I love the restfulness of nighttime
And the close of every day,
When I kneel again in formal prayer
I seem to hear the Father say:
“Sleep well, my son, while angels watch,
And in all you say and do,
As you strive to live like Jesus,
I am always there for you.”
© www.servingjesuspoetry.com
All non-commercial usage allowed.
CONTEXT
(a) Commandment
A recent High Priest Group discussion [I date the piece--we're all in the Elders Quorum now!] inspired the above, in part due to our incomplete consideration of the commandment found in Alma 34:17-27:
"Therefore 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;
Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (Underline added.)
(b) Query
Unfortunately, we did not have time to harmonize the brethren's views as to the last sentence of that passage--was it allegorical, figurative, or metaphorical or was Amulek conveying something beyond allegory.
An authoritative view of 34:27 [which, incidentally, is paralleled in Doc. & Cov. 19:28] was found using a very helpful tool located at scriptures.byu.edu. That provides cross-referencing between the Standard Works and all formal references to scripture by the Lord's apostles and prophets since the Restoration. [There is a free "android app" for the index as well.]
Exploring that site, I found a seemingly dispositive exposition of 34:27 in Elder Francis M. Gibbons' sermon at the General Conference of October 1991, "The Two Aspects of Prayer", where he said, in relevant part: "Thus, when we are not actually engaged in the formal act of prayer, we should always have a prayer in our heart, wherever we are or whatever we are doing." (The entire address merits prayerful study.)
(c) Application
Having confirmed the principal of "two aspects of prayer", one formal and limited and one informal and unceasing, we then must then ask how to "have a prayer in our hearts". This appears to call for further "inquiry of the Lord" [1 Nephi 15:8].