Brother of Jared's preparation

The brother of Jared is one of my favorite Book of Mormon heroes because of his faith and the miracles that come because of his faith. He did a lot!

What did he do?
1. He received answers to prayers (Ether 1)
2. He and his family started a new nation on a new continent

How was he prepared to do these things?
1. The brother of Jared was familiar with the process of prayer and receiving answers. During the time of the Tower of Babel, he prayed that the Lord would not confound his language, and so it was done. (Ether 1:35) He also prayed that the Lord would not confound the language of his friends and family, and so it was done. (Ether 1:37) If it stopped here, I would still conclude that the brother of Jared saw great mercies and miracles - to be able to keep his close relationships with friends and family. But it does not stop there. He seeks after the Lord to know what his family should do in a time of turmoil. He receives revelation (Ether 1:41-43) and very specific steps as to what he should do to ensure the safety of his family.

2. The brother of Jared and his friends and family were going to travel to a new land. The Land of Promise, or the American continent is a land with great promises and curses. Ether 2:7-12 explains that "whoso should possess this land of promise... should serve him... or they should be swept off when the fullness of his wrath should come upon them." (Ether 2:8) So it was important that the brother of Jared and his family lived a way that would enable them to receive blessings rather that curses when living in the promised land. The Lord teaches the brother of Jared an important lesson in Ether 2:14-15: "... the Lord chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord." Considering that brother of Jared was having this conversation while the Lord was concealed in a cloud tells me that Jared hadn't completely severed his prayerful communication with the Lord. Perhaps he was getting a little lazy in his prayers. But there was an important lesson that the Lord had to teach the brother of Jared before he could live in the land of promise. "...my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefor, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord." (Ether 2:15) It was essential that the brother of Jared and his family were devoted in their prayers to keep the presence of the Spirit. Without this, they would eventually fall into sin and they would be cursed while they lived in the Land of Promise.

What do we learn from the brother of Jared and his preparation?
1. It is interesting to note that the 3-verse long revelation does not come as an answer to his first prayer. The Lord could have easily told him to leave right away, but instead blesses him with protection in response to his prayers. Perhaps it is because the brother of Jared needed to learn to pray and trust in the Lord even in times of turmoil.

The Lord gave the brother of Jared extremely specific instructions to prepare his family to depart. "Go to and gather together thy flocks... and also of the seed of the earth... and thy families... and also thy friends...." (Ether 1:41) Why doesn't the Lord give us super-specific instructions like this? I believe that the Lord CAN and WILL give us super-specific instructions if the lines of communications between Him and us are sufficiently strong and "well-oiled." It is significant that the brother of Jared had previously received answers to fervent prayers. The prayers offered in verses 35 and 37 asked for a "yes" or a "no" answer, but this prayer in verse 39 required much more than a "yes" or a "no" answer. But since the brother of Jared had regular lines of communication open, he was very capable of receiving a very detailed answer to his prayer. I'm sure that the Lord wants to tell us things regarding our family, safety, etc. If we keep our prayers strong and faithful, we will be prepared to receive revelation when we need it.

2. We are living in the Americas now! We are also subject to the same curses and blessings by living on this continent! It is extremely easy to lose the presence of the Spirit in our homes and our lives. When this happens, there is only one downward direction we can go. When we allow ourselves to live without the Spirit, we are asking to be cursed and destroyed - we know the doctrine! In a sense, every day that we live without the guidance of the Spirit brings us closer to the devil - and eternal destruction. Without the guidance of the Spirit it is inevitable to get caught up (however slowly) in the ways of the world and forget our purpose... To get back to Heavenly Father!