Pray and Trifle Not

Speaking of the small group of missionaries who were commanded to go and take the gospel to the Lamanites, the Lord said, “And they shall give heed to that which is written, and pretend to no other revelation; and they shall pray always that I may unfold the same to their understanding. And they shall give heed unto these words and trifle not, and I will bless them” (Doctrine and Covenants 32:4-5). The commentary at the top of the chapter summarizes this in these words: “They are to pray for an understanding of the scriptures.” This is, I believe, a key for all of us to understand “that which is written”—the scriptures—in that we are to not just read but to pray over that which we read. After the Savior taught the Nephites that first day in Bountiful, quoting scriptures and giving them His words to follow, He instructed, “Go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow” (3 Nephi 17:3). They were to consider the word they had been given and ask for understanding from the Father. This is of course the same pattern that Moroni invited us to follow, to read and pray: “When ye shall read these things… I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true” (Moroni 10:3-4). We should always accompany our study of the word of the Lord with heartfelt prayer that we can understand the same.

               One of the instructions to these missionaries, which included Oliver Cowdery, was to “trifle not.” Two other times the Lord used the same language in speaking to Oliver Cowdery. He said, “Make not thy gift known unto any save it be those who are of thy faith. Trifle not with sacred things.” Not much later the Lord similarly said: “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:12, 8:10). To trifle means “to deal lightly or without due seriousness or respect,” and the Lord clearly wants us to take seriously His words that He has given us. So perhaps a second part to gaining better understanding of the scriptures, in addition to sincere prayer, is to take them seriously. We cannot treat them lightly and expect to gain great light from them. Perhaps one of the reasons Oliver Cowdery was led away from the faith was that he did not adequately heed this instruction but rather let himself treat lightly the word of God he had received (sometimes even in marvelous ways with the visit of heavenly beings). We each need to be careful not to trivialize or take lightly the words of the scriptures that we have received or the inspiration of the Spirit that the Lord has personally given us. As King Benjamin taught, a key to true understanding of the word of God implies that we do not trifle with sacred things: “I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view” (Mosiah 2:9). As we take seriously the word of the Lord and seek His help for understanding, His promise is simple: “I [will] unfold the same to their understanding…. I will bless them.”