O Hear, O Hear, O Hear Us

In the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Joseph prayed these words, “O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord! And answer these petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the work of our hands, which we have built unto thy name” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:78). Three times he asked the Lord to hear him, and other scriptures suggest that there is something significant about asking or hearing three times. Paul recounted his petition to the Lord to take away the thorn in his flesh this way: “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). He prayed three times for this affliction to depart from him, and then he heard the voice of the Lord unto him. In another scriptural passage, the Lamanites being taught by Nephi and Lehi were covered in a cloud of darkness and heard a voice as they turned themselves heavenward. The account records, “And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness… it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul…. And behold the voice came again, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and seek no more to destroy my servants…. And also again the third time the voice came, and did speak unto them marvelous words which cannot be uttered by man” (Helaman 5:29-33). The voice came to them three times as they sought to turn their hearts to the Lord. A similar experience was recorded several decades later when the Savior came to visit the Nephites and Lamanites. Mormon recorded what happened as they were gathered around the temple at Bountiful: “And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard;… yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not. And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came. And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them” (3 Nephi 11:3-6). Three times they heard the voice before they truly understood what the Lord was communicating with them.

            Mormon also recorded how the Savior prayed three times among the people of Nephi on His second day among them. He recounted, “And it came to pass that 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 them out of the world. Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words. Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them. 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” (3 Nephi 19:19-23). That was His first prayer. After encouraging them to continue praying, He prayed a second time: “And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying: 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” (3 Nephi 19:27-29). He went again to behold His disciples who were continuing to pray, and He then prayed a third time: “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.” After this third prayer He “made an end of praying” and told them “they should cease to pray” vocally (3 Nephi 19:31-35, 20:1). I believe there is something significant and complete about how He prayed among them three times.

            We have two other examples from the New Testament showing the Savior petitioning three times. After His resurrection, He found some of the apostles and made food for them on the Sea of Galilee. It was “the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.” After they ate, “Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (John 21:14-17). Three times He petitioned Peter to help him see the importance of feeding His sheep. The repetition surely helped fix in Peter’s mind the importance of heeding this command for the rest of his mortal days.

            Perhaps the most important example of a heavenly petition given three times is what Jesus did in the garden as He suffered. Matthew recorded, “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words” (Matthew 26:36-44). He petitioned the Father three times and ultimately reconciled His own will with the terrible mission that was before Him as He chose to move forward and drink the bitter cup. These scriptural examples suggest to us that communicating with the divine is not a cheap or easy experience. It takes great work, and reaching out or hearing three times in these stories can be a reminder of the spiritual work we need to do to truly seek the Lord and receive answers to our prayers.