Call First

God showed to Moses the whole history of creation. It was from this grand vision that Moses wrote the book of Genesis. When the Prophet Joseph Smith read Genesis under the divine mandate to restore truths and details that had been lost or removed from the King James version, he produced what we now have as the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price.

The biblical version of Genesis Chapter 4 gives us a long list of "begats" and a little background of how Adam and Eve's posterity began to split apart along theological lines. While some of the children and grandchildren followed Adam's lead in obeying God, others became worshipers of Satan. The story of Cain and Abel, for example, is recounted in this chapter.

After telling us that Adam and Eve finally begat a righteous son named Seth who in turn begat a righteous son named Enos, the Bible account concludes with this statement:

Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
--Genesis 4:26

This is good news. After three generations and a good deal of drama and sorrow, people began to pray. We are not told quite why the children and grandchildren of Adam and Eve finally decided to pray, but at least they are on the right path.

In Joseph Smith's inspired retelling of these events, we receive a few details that are missing from the biblical version. We learn, for instance, that prior to the birth of Seth, who would be a worthy replacement for the murdered Abel, "Adam hearkened unto the voice of God, and called upon his sons to repent" (see Moses 6:1). Adam needed to do more than simply set a righteous example for his growing and wavering family. As we can read in the preceding chapter, God was not happy with the increasing evil and waywardness of Adam's offspring. Adam got the message and started preaching the gospel of faith and repentance to his children.

Joseph then expanded on the terse statement in Genesis about prayer to include a more specific details.

And then began these men [meaning Seth and Enos] to call upon the name of the Lord, and the Lord blessed them.
--Moses 6:4

So, first off, not everyone responded to the gospel message. Nevertheless, at least a few got it, and the first thing they did was start to pray. Secondly, when they started to pray, the Lord started to bless them, presumably in ways He had not previously blessed those who did not pray.

A profound formula falls out of this simple verse. Call first, and blessings follow.

Now, blessings may come anyway. God sends rain on the just and the unjust (see Matthew 5:45). Our loving Father is not so harsh that He cuts us off if we do not apply to Him regularly for our daily bread. We have ample evidence in the world that atheists and vile sinners can fare very well in temporal affairs.

We all get rain and sunshine, some maybe a little more than others. Prayer, however, yields blessings that transcend temporal good times. Peace, joy, forgiveness, mercy, love, and knowledge form the true prosperity that a relationship with God brings and is denied to those who do not turn to the source of real blessings.

Further, when we recognize the source of our blessings, both spiritual and temporal, they are richer, more fulfilling, and more inspiring.

The call to prayer is as old as time itself. Our Father is anxious to bless us. We just need to call first.