The Book of Enos

So I'm starting a new project - From now till the end of the year I'm going to write each week my 

thoughts and notes on what I'm reading in the Book of Mormon, following the Come Follow Me schedule. 

I know we're a quarter of the way through the year, but better now than never right? Anyways, hope you 

like it! Here's what stuck out to me in the book of Enos!

(also - it might be helpful to have your scriptures with you when you read this, cuz I'm just going to go 

verse by verse on any insight I gained. Probs won't make sense if you read this like a normal blog)

Verse 2: I like how he wrestled before God, not with god. The wrestle is with ourselves.

V3. Some background to who Enos is. Enos was the son of a prophet. I'm thinking Footloose pastors kid 

kind of rebel. He heard his dad Jacob preach and teach his whole life, and what were the two things that 

finally sunk in? Eternal life, and the joy of the saints.

Fast forward to the end of his life he records in V27, those two things seemed to have the biggest impact 

on his life.

These two things sunk into his heart during the hunt, a time of quiet isolation.

Maybe social distancing is as good time as any to have some quiet isolation. Set apart a time to unplug 

from the world let the words of Christ sink into your hearts. Sounds dramatic? Then make it dramatic.

I think often what is keeping us from God may not be transgression, but distraction. It's crazy how seldom 

we are alone in our own thoughts.

V4. We tend to focus on the length of his prayer, but how about the depth? "I cried unto him in MIGHTY prayer".

We pray so many times as members of the church. But how many of them are mighty?

I think sometimes we think it's more about the prayer, than it is the participation in the prayer. Think back 

to a time you went  to the dinner table ready to pray and someone says "don't worry we already blessed it". 

Doesn't that seem off to you? Do we really think prayers are meant to "strengthen and nourish" our bodies? 

Or is it just a great time to give thanks? My friends think this is silly but I purposefully don't ever pray to bless 

the food during a "food" prayer. Yes God turned water into wine but I don't think he turns pie into vitamins and 

protein.

End of V4, I like the imagery. "when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens."

What if prayers were visible? What if they were balloons? How high would mine go?

Also notice the word choice of Enos. He writes "I cried unto him", "raise my voice", in Verse9 "pour out my 

whole soul".

I love how the word "Say" is NEVER associated with prayer in the scriptures. Except once, because the 

sacrament prayer must be said exactly. I'm going to make it a goal when I'm a dad to never ask my kids: 

"have you said your prayers yet?"

V5 He is forgiven and V6 his guilt was "swept away".

Repentance is hard. But often equally as hard, is allowing ourselves to feel forgiven. I know I've gone 

through some tearful repentance, and still maintained a heavy feeling of guilt afterwards. (synonyms for guilt: 

ashamed, blameworthy, culpable, deserving reproach or punishment.) So if am weighed down with guilt after 

repentance, while Enos' guilt was swept away like the '07 Cavaliers, I might be doing something wrong.

So how did he do it? See V6.  "I knew that God could not lie."

Joseph Smith said the 2nd key principle in exercising Saving Faith in God, is knowing what God is like.

Understanding this about God, that He cannot lie, allows us to trust that it is done.

V7. Enos asks how is it done. Paraphrased: "I believe that it is done, but how does it work?"

I think Enos might have been asking for the mechanics behind it all.. how does forgiveness work? I've 

wondered it too. Kind of random, but I don't believe in magic. I think when water was turned to wine or 

when the loaves and fishes were handed out, there was a logical explanation behind it. (just that Jesus was 

performing physics on different level above our understanding.) So I'm very curious, if there is a similar 

celestial logic behind how sin is wiped away by the atonement. I can't even begin to fathom an explanation, 

all I know is that it does.

Regardless, if there is or not such an explanation, Enos didn't get that answer. God simply replied: 

"because of your faith".

Faith allows the atonement to erase your sins. I picture God saying here "…Let me worry about the mechanics…. 

Trust me that when I say you are forgiven, ye are forgiven. Know that I cannot lie. And you will be able to 

feel that forgiveness flow into you."

Fun fact of the day, in 3th grade I was given a little green ribbon by my teacher as I was dubbed "Most Curious" 

that year. That was probably Mrs Powell's way of saying I was that annoying little kid who would not stop a

sking questions. And I've learned that this curiosity can cause me to stumble if I'm not careful.

The important part in understanding the atonement, repentance, revelation, etc., is not receiving a detailed 

explanation of them, but EXPERIENCING THEM.

I once had an elder in the mission tell me to my face I was the worst missionary he had ever worked with. 

Ironically that was near the end of my mission and while I certainty wasn't the best teacher out there, I knew 

that I was teaching a simple people, los Paraguayos. Big in heart, little in classroom education. (and I hope 

that no one takes that as a diss. If I had to pick to be gifted in one of the two, hands down big in heart.) 

Anyways, I decided not to teach things like the story of Adam and Eve, and I did not try to explain the 

cause and effects of the fall. To that elder's credit I was skipping a pretty crucial part in the plan of salvation. 

To this day I don't know if I was wrong in doing so, but I can sure tell you many stories of how those 

Paraguayans experienced the atonement, in a way unique to them.

If we can help people experience the atonement, they will understand it even if they don't get the mechanics.

If we can help people experience revelation, they will understand it even if they don't know exactly how the 

Holy Ghost works.

You can trust the outcome even when you don't understand how it's done.

Okay moving on in the chapter!

V9 you see that the repentance that just took place is like a drop of water rippling out; the epicenter for many 

good things to come.

• Now he feels a desire for the welfare of his people
• Faith becomes unshaken
• He prayed even more, after he had already been praying all day long!

V13 One of the most prophetic prayers I can think of. The things Enos prayed for were so specific, and they 

so accurately depicted what actually happened hundreds of years later, that it makes you wonder: Was that 

Enos praying to God? Or are these God's words to Enos, then back to God?

Side note: See 3rd Nephi 19:24  "it was given unto them what they should pray".

Sometimes the best prayers are the ones God whispers in our ears like a little kid. "ask me for this, thank me 

for that."

V14 this one goes out to all the parents who are struggling to pass their faith on to their kids. Your struggles 

may seem to be in vain, but pay attention to Enos' words: "At the present". That is Enos not giving up on them. 

They're not yet home, my efforts have not yet been successful. Sometimes we have to wait till their hearts are soft, 

maybe till they go off on a hunt and are left to their own thoughts. Maybe things they've heard over the years 

will sink deeper into their heart.

V15 In the words of my friend skyler mousely… Classic scripture right here. "Whatsoever thing ye shall ask 

in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it."

V17 Another example where Enos' knowledge of truth blessed him…

I knew he couldn't lie -> my guilt was swept away

I knew God kept his word -> my soul did rest.

V18 how about that word choice: Required. When's the last time you required something of the Lord? Probably 

need faith level 100 for that. But maybe God wants us to get there. Asking things of God, by all means, is a great

 thing for all of us to do. But maybe God hopes our faith will get to the point where we "require" things of Him, 

because a) we know he'll deliver, and b) we have sincere heart and real intent on following through on our end. 

Or maybe I'm just ranting at this point, idk.

Ending with V26 and V27. Enos declared these truths his whole life, and rejoiced in them. I think that is the 

difference between a great missionary and a robot missionary. A great parent and parent who pushes. 

One preaches what they know, the other preaches…. But they do it joyfully. 

You have to love this stuff if you ever hope someone else will come to love it through you.

Goodnight / good day / good luck with whatever you have going on right now. Hope you're out there finding joy :)