That They May Be Purified

Yesterday I wrote about the Savior’s focus on prayer in 3 Nephi 17-18 at the end of His first day among the Nephites. He left them and came back about halfway through the next chapter, 3 Nephi 19, and immediately focused again on prayer with them. In fact, a form of the word pray occurs 28 times in this chapter. We read, “And it came to pass that he spake unto the multitude, and commanded them that they should kneel down again upon the earth, and also that his disciples should kneel down upon the earth. And it came to pass that when they had all knelt down upon the earth, he commanded his disciples that they should pray. And behold, they began to pray” (v16-18). While they prayed He too went to pray, “Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and he said: Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen” (v19-20). After thanking the Father, He prayed, “Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words…. And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one” (v21, 23). He prayed that the Holy Ghost would be given to them and that they would believe in the Savior and become one with Him and with the Father. I pray every day for my children, and it struck me as I read this that this is what I should pray for as I seek the Lord’s blessings upon them: that they can have the Holy Ghost with them, that they can believe in the Savior and become one with Him. That is more important the help I might request for them in their daily activities—what matters most is their relationship with the Savior, and I should seek most earnestly to help them nurture that.

                After blessing the people and encouraging them to continue to pray, Jesus again prayed to the Father: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me. Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them” (v28-29). Surely this is also what I should pray for as I seek the Lord’s help in my children’s lives: that they might be purified in Him and become one with Him. That is the whole purpose of this mortal experience—to believe in Him, to become purified through Him, to be one with Him and the Father so we are prepared to return to their presence. I should be more focused in my own prayers on that most important purpose of mortality more than I am with the items that fill up our family calendar. After praying for them in these words, Mormon recorded, “And it came to pass that he went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father; And tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed. And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their hearts were open and they did understand in their hearts the words which he prayed” (v31-33). We don’t know what those marvelous words were that He spoke, but I am confident that part of what He prayed for was them. This chapter is a powerful reminder of our need to pray with and for those whom we love. The experience was so profound for this people who heard Him pray that Mormon wrote, “Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be uttered by man” (v34). Of course, we won’t be able to pray with the same power as He did, but we can surely do more to bless others by praying with them, by pleading with the Father to grant them the Holy Ghost, by asking Him to help them come unto the Savior.