Revelatory Patterns From Enos

There is a group of patterns that I found in the Book of Enos that I think give some insights into the principle of prayer. First, I’ll lay out the structure and then I’ll share some thoughts and insights, but this is all from today, I haven’t had time to really delve into it deeper.

Enos makes a record of his “wrestle” that he had before God before receiving a remission of his sins, but his story goes beyond his personal salvation.

I noticed that these particular patterns are bookended roughly between the words “my soul hungered,” (vs.4) and “my soul did rest.” (vs.17) This delineates a clear beginning and end of a transformative arc.

These patterns of three appear in a group of about eight categories. The number eight is significant as it relates to rebirth and regeneration which mesh well with atonement and salvation themes.

1. Hearing the words of truth
   • the words which I had often heard my father speak (vs.3)
   • when I had heard these words (vs.9)
   • after I, Enos, had heard these words (vs.11)
2. Effect of these words upon Enos
   • my soul hungered (vs.4)
   • I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren (vs.9)
   • my faith began to be unshaken (vs.11)
3. Petition to God
   • I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul (vs.4)
   • I did pour out my whole soul unto God for [the Nephites] (vs.9)
   • I prayed unto him […] for my brethren, the Lamanites (vs.11)
4. The “wrestle” associated with the petition
   • all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens (vs.4)
   • while I was thus struggling in the spirit (vs.10)
   • many long strugglings […] after I had prayed and labored with all diligence (vs.12)
5. Object of the petition
   • personal remission of sins (vs.2)
   • welfare of my brethren, the Nephites (vs.9)
   • for my brethren, the Lamanites (vs.11)
6. The voice of the Lord
   • there came a voice unto me (vs.5)
   • the voice of the Lord came into my mind again (vs.10)
   • the Lord said unto me (vs.12)
7. The Lord’s reply
   • Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed (vs.5)
   • I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments (vs.10)
   • I will grant unto thee according to they desires, because of thy faith (vs.12)
8. Effect of the Lord’s reply
   • Enos’ guilt is swept away because of his faith in Christ and he is made whole (vs.6-8)
   • The Lord will visit the Nephites according to their diligence to the commandments (vs.10)
   • God covenants that he would preserve the records and bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time (vs.16)

I can personally bear witness that when you receive a remission of sins from God, that your first thoughts turn to others. This is mainly because when you witness firsthand how God feels about you, then you realize at the same time that this is how he feels about everybody.

God’s goodness has nothing to do with who we are, but who his is.

Just like the sun sheds for its light indiscriminately upon the entire earth, the love of God is also shed forth in much the same way. It is a constant and we hide from it in the shade of distraction and the caves of sin and selfishness, but can choose at any time to step out into the light and love of God.

Enos’ petitions to God involve struggle each time, in fact the struggle even increases, but he is persistent.

When he first petitions God, Enos is out hunting beasts in the forest, perhaps because he is hungry, and is focused on that task.

But then the words of his father come into his mind and as he thinks about eternal life and the joy of the saints, he lets these thoughts sink deep into his heart.

This is when his hunger perhaps drifts from his belly to his soul. This says a lot to me about how our natural appetites can sometime get in the way of spiritual growth. What if Enos’ desire to hunt outweighed his desire for the things of God?

By allowing the word of God to sink deep into his heart, he realized the hunger of his own soul and that drove him to cry out to God. In another post called “Cry unto the Lord” I wrote about how this word implies being “annoyingly persistent or relentless,” perhaps as a child would petition their parent.

Enos’ persistence paid off and he acknowledges that he raised his voice high, “that it reached the heavens.”

This is where the pattern begins. As his answers come, he repeats his prayerful persistence over and over and even uses the word “struggling” to describe his efforts.

Enos’ object of inquiry begins with himself, and then reaches outwards to his brethren the Nephites, and then the Lamanites. He doesn’t cease his inquiry just because of an answer to his first petition, he keeps going and going until his soul can rest.

This says a lot about God as well, he’s willing to give and give until our cup runs over but only as we are willing to receive it. I think it can be easy to quit if we become impatient, tired, or feel distracted by some other task whether menial or important.

After receiving just two answers from the Lord, Enos’ notes that his “faith began to be unshaken in the Lord.” He had two successful encounters with God and this had such a significant effect upon his faith that he made a third successful attempt that resulted in a personal covenant with the Lord.

When we pray, it is our desire that is key. Generating that desire can often be difficult because we may not know how or we grow weary or impatient. But if we follow Enos’ example, we can understand that we can go about our daily tasks (hunting in the woods) while still allowing for the word to sink deep into our hearts until our soul hungers. This may take a great deal of meditation, pondering, and focus, but it may interrupt what we are currently doing as well.

Our initial answer may not be all that God is willing to give. It seems that God is willing to reveal all things but it depends on what we are willing to receive, and when we decide to “rest.” Is the initial answer enough, or is there more? We shouldn’t think that God is stingy with his willingness to bestow revelation.

We can petition persistently like a child would. While that sounds annoying if you’ve ever had a child saying, “Dad, dad, dad, dad…daaaaaaaad, dad….” A wise God would see that behavior and rather than an annoying child, he sees a child that is looking to their parent as their chosen and perhaps sole source of help.

Do we look to God as our only source of help? Are we relentless? Do we understand that God wants to give us knowledge but it depends on our willingness and capacity to receive?

If God did this for Enos, then he’ll do it for us. It’s amazing that we have patterns like these in the Book of Mormon. They are there to show us what is possible and what we can cause to be if we pattern our own actions after those who have gone before.