Ether 3 – The brother of Jared sees the hand of the Lord. Once he saw his hand, he was able to see his entire body. This was because of his faith. Once he saw, then he knew. His calling and election is made sure. This information was kept from the people until the coming forth of the Book of Mormon – with the exception that Moroni was able to transcribe the record.

I find it interesting that we went from being chastised for three hours by the Lord for NOT praying to being able to see the Lord in front of him. Obviously, he was foreordained for this experience. However, it shows to me the weakness of man and the ability to overcome that weakness.

I have found that Heavenly Father really does want to bless his children. He is not withholding blessings because he likes to see us suffer. There are rules. One of those rules is that we must worship him and believe in him. When we reach that state, he is quick to show forth his blessing and thus show his power.

This is important to remember as we make mistakes, as we will, because we are carnal creatures and must learn from our experiences.

As I said earlier, we must remember to pray always – to lean upon the Lord and listen for his guidance through the Holy Ghost. We must trust those subtle promptings and act upon them that we might be instruments in the Lord's hands. This goal will allow us to reach our full potential on this earth, find joy in the everyday things, and return to our Heavenly Father.

So how does this apply to me? I must continue to pray, and have faith that my prayers are heard and answered, and seek to see the Lord's hand in my own life. I have no doubt it is there. There are times I have seen it. Oh, not in the actual visual, but in the result. I believe this is true for all of us. The Lord loves his children and wants to bless them. There is a pattern we must follow.