When Joseph Smith had a question of what church he should join, he read James 1:5 which said, "if any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God." From this, Joseph Knew that he had to pray and ask God to know where the truth could be found.
From Joseph Smith's own words, he said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. [...] When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (to read a full account of Joseph's experience, refer to Joseph Smith History)
The members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have based their understanding of prayer and revelation on Joseph's experience with the First Vision. From this we believe that God is our loving Heavenly Father, and his son Jesus Christ came to earth to suffer and die for us, and now he lives again. We believe that we can gain answers to our prayers when we have a sincere question in our heart and we study the scriptures and ask God, through prayer, to help us understand. God listens to and answers our prayers. Most likely no one will have an experience like the Frist Vision in their lives where they see God appear to them with Jesus Christ, but they can gain an increase in faith by studying the scriptures and praying continually.
No comments:
Post a Comment