Steadfast Prayer

The Nephites of Zarahemla had been blessed with a righteous, faithful, God-fearing king for most of a generation. King Benjamin had led his people through wars and tribulations, had brought them through rebellions and internal strife, and had established an unprecedented period of peace. The purpose of their peace, however, was not to provide for luxuries and an easy life, but to enable the growth and perpetuation of faith in the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Messiah.

Benjamin was not just their political leader, he was their spiritual leader, their prophet, the head of the church, which had spread among the population until it was pervasive. Now, the king and prophet of the Nephites was coming to the end of his life and his ministry. He had just preached the mightiest sermon of his career, and the resulting response from his people was all he could have hoped for. The people had renewed their knowledge of God, tasted of His love, received a remission of their sins, and made fresh covenants to be faithful.

This spiritual revival had touched the people and infused them with great joy. They were swept up in the sublime moment of their emotions and their gratitude. King Benjamin knew, however, that such moments can be fleeting if they are not cultivated and reinforced. And so, to cement this grand experience in the souls of his hearers, he offered the following counsel to teach them how to hold onto the joy they were feeling.

And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
--Mosiah 4:11

To retain the spiritual rebirth in which they felt such great joy, they needed to remember and repent every day. Unless the well is refreshed regularly from its source, it will dry up. The key to daily remembrance and daily repentance, according to King Benjamin, is daily prayer.

Our covenant keeping cannot be sporadic or haphazard. We cannot expect one good day to tide us over for a month or a week, anymore than we can expect one good meal to sustain us for span of many days. Every Primary child is taught that just as their bodies need regular nourishment, so their spirits need regular nourishment. As King Benjamin told the Nephites, regular prayer is essential to every other aspect of our spiritual lives.

We must have God's help to overcome the natural man and receive the power of His spirit in our lives. Our "nothingness" as "unworthy creatures" is not a judgment of how God sees us but a reminder of how we ought to see ourselves in comparison to Him. By ourselves we lack the power to make the kinds of changes in our lives that God expects of us. He, on the other hand, has all power, including the power to change us, heal us, and lift us up.

When we pray daily, therefore, we keep the channels of communication open and clear, and God's help will flow freely to us. Steadfastness in everything else hinges on steadfast prayer.