Jacob 5

(August 16, 2014)

                My thoughts recently have focused on prayer, so it was not surprising to me that there was where my mind went as I read this chapter.  I don’t know what to make of the idea that the servants persuaded the Lord to spare the vineyard.  Was He genuinely persuaded?  If so, does that mean that He is persuadable?  The implications to that are very profound in my mind.

                I have always thought that the Lord had His plan, and that would be what would happen.  When we pray to Him, we are conforming ourselves to His will, rather than bringing His will around to our own.  And I think that there is strong doctrinal evidences that this is the case.  But then there are chapters such as this, or Moses pleading for the people, and it makes me wonder.

                I suppose that this is a matter that I have allowed myself to be confused on.  I don’t pray with the intensity that I ought to, because I believe that the Lord’s will is what will ultimately be done.  I don’t believe that persuading the Lord is possible (and still don’t, despite what I have read here).  But I understand why this true doctrine might be leading me into a false behavior.

                There is no question that my prayers need to drastically improve.  If, perhaps, the truth is that I cannot persuade the Lord to change His mind, then that is the truth and I accept that.  But my behavior should reflect that of the prophets, who seek out the blessings of the Lord.  Actively seeking the blessings of the Lord certainly resembles persuasion far more than the passive prayers that make up the majority of my interactions with the Divine.  I need to call upon the Lord, seeking His blessings that He stands ready to give me, and if I need to act as though the Lord is persuadable in order to achieve that, I think it is something that I should consider.