Whose Spirit is Contrite

In an 1831 revelation to many of the Elders of the church, the Lord gave this direction: “And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations.” Here is the pattern that He then gave which showed the Elders how to recognize those who are of God and are accepted of Him: “Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances. He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances. And again, he that trembleth under my power shall be made strong, and shall bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom, according to the revelations and truths which I have given you” (Doctrine and Covenants 52:14-17). The first requirement seems to be obedience to His ordinances—we will not be acceptable to Him if we do not keep His commandments and receive His ordinances. I’m impressed by the Lord’s additional focus here on humility—if we want to pray in a way that is pleasing to Him, we must have a contrite spirit. If we want to speak in a way that is acceptable to Him, we must do so meekly. If we want to be made strong by Him, we must tremble under His power. That is the pattern we must follow in all things: we must be filled with humility to properly serve Him in any capacity.  

               This principle reminds me of Moses’s statement as He experienced the power of God and realized his own weakness before Divinity: “Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed” (Moses 1:10). It struck me today as I thought about this statement that Moses came to this realization and had this vision before delivering the children of Israel from Egypt. After his experience here where he talked to God face to face and was humbled to the dust, he then went forth to Pharoah and showed many mighty works, culminating in the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea on dry ground. He was indeed “made strong” as the Lord promised in the Doctrine and Covenants because Moses did tremble under His power. Moses was great because he understood that he was nothing compared to the glory of God. Enoch was another mighty prophet who similarly showed deep humility and a firm understanding of his position before God. When called to the work he declared, “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?” The Lord reaffirmed that all his power would come from God: “Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.” Jehovah then declared that Enoch would indeed made “strong” as he trembled under the power of God: “Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me” (Moses 6:31-34). Enoch was humble before the Lord and he was enabled to do mighty works, culminating in building a city that was taken up to heaven. As we seek to serve the Lord in whatever He has called us to do, serving with a contrite heart is key is the only way to be accepted of Him.  

 

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